


Reverse of Arcadia

by TylerNator



Series: Tyler Nochi [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dark Signers, Angst, Arcadia Movement, Drama, English Dub Names, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, POV First Person, POV Original Character, Reverse of Arcadia, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, TCG Card Names / Terminology, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:47:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 102,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29395017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TylerNator/pseuds/TylerNator
Summary: Forcibly taken from his home in the Satellite and stripped of his memories, Tyler Nochi, in an ironic twist of fate, was able to finally forget about the atrocities committed against him. But as a shadow looms over New Domino City, Tyler will be reunited with friends old and new, and will learn that, memory or not, it's impossible to run away from destiny.
Series: Tyler Nochi [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2159325





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya, this is a test to see how I go porting my stories from FFN to AO3. I hope this works well, and I hope you enjoy the story.

Sunlight broke in from the sky and through the trees. I could hear the howls of the wind and birds chirping. By the look of things, I was in the middle of a forest, but I had no idea how I'd even ended up in the forest.

I attempted to focus my eyes on something, anything that would give me some hint as to where I was, but I wasn't able to. Hazily, I brought my hand up to look at it and in an instant, I could no longer feel anything. My sense of touch and my general awareness had almost vanished completely. It was like I was being pulled somewhere against my will, and I was powerless to do anything.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the forest.

"Somebody…"

Whatever force I felt pulling me surrendered itself almost immediately.

The voice was distinctly female, possibly belonging to a young child. I looked around until my eyes came upon a clearing, and at the edge of the clearing, I could see the shadow of a young girl. "Somebody… please help me…!" that same voice pleaded, the tone revealing to me a truly frightened little girl.

It was strange: In spite of me never having met this girl before, there was this feeling, this notion in the back of my head that I was the only one who could save her, that I was this 'somebody'. Maybe she was like me, I thought. Lost in a strange place not knowing how she got here.

I tried to run over to the child, but I didn't seem to get any closer to her. If anything, I just found myself getting further and further away from her.

The girl's cries seemed to get more and more desperate, and once I realized the futility in running, I then tried to call out to her, let her know that there was someone else around – someone willing to help her.

In spite of my attempt, no sound came out of my mouth, and the more I tried to call out to her, the more I felt myself growing weaker. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't stop my eyelids starting to flicker and droop before I collapsed onto the ground, the sounds of the forest and cries of the young girl slowly fading away.

* * *

Emerging from a dark, flat silence, incessant beeping of electrical equipment filled my ears, letting me know that I was in a much different place.

"Sayer! A change has been detected in the test subject's body!" a woman called out. This person's voice sounded older than the other girl's. I tried to speak, but like in the forest, I couldn't. _Unlike_ in the forest, my mouth wouldn't even open this time. Heck, I couldn't even open my eyes.

"What is it?!" a man asked, practically shouting over the noise that the apparent electrical equipment seemed to be making.

"Look at this…" the woman began, "See the irregularity in the nerve impulses? It's not like anything we've seen before. It's highly likely that the subject's been communicating with the Spirit World."

I didn't know who else was in the room with me at the time. If I was just alone with these two or there were many others all observing me. I had so many questions to ask. Who was the 'test subject'? And what was the 'Spirit World'?

"Hmm… Then it seems that all of our research up to this point _hasn't_ been in vain…" the man murmured.

"Yes, sir…" the woman confirmed.

"Perhaps then, it's time that we put this one to work for us…" the man added "Even if this subject does not possess psychic powers, I'm sure that at the very least, we'll have a decent Duelist on our hands. He was wearing the same clothing as the others, and according to what I could find on them in the database, they were the best Duelists in Satellite."

I wasn't sure if they knew I could hear them, that I was listening in, but suddenly I felt my entire body loosen up, as if a weight had been lifted off of my arms and legs. In a daze, I opened my eyes and jerked my head to the side, looking around the room. I seemed to be in some sort of examination chair, which was folded right back with my head semi-protected by a glass visor, preventing me from sitting up.

I was finally able to stir my voice and I brought my left hand up to my face, causing the woman sitting beside me to gasp. "Oh! Sayer! The subject's eyes have opened!" she shouted, sounding surprised.

"Well then," the man, who I assumed to be Sayer, began, "when our friend here is able to walk, see that you escort him to his room."

I tried to look past the visor and focus solely on the man. He had long auburn-colored hair, which seemed specifically styled to obscure the side of his face. He wore a black suit with a white tie and a green vest over both along with formal corduroy pants that were the same color as his suit. I wasn't able to tell by the man's facial expression if he was well-meaning or not, but the woman seemed to trust him, so I assumed that, for the time-being at least, I should too.

Sayer began to walk out of the room, but stopped at the door, turning back to the woman. "One more thing: make sure that no one realizes that this subject is not a psychic Duelist. If anyone else finds this out, our secret might be leaked to the outside world."

It clicked in my head that I was the 'test subject' they'd both been talking about, but for what, I still wasn't sure. The fact that Sayer said that I wasn't a psychic must've meant something, but I was too focused on trying to stay awake to let what he'd said sink in.

"Yes, sir. Understood." the woman stood up and bowed as Sayer walked out the door and out of my view. The woman then walked over to a machine and pressed a few buttons. There was a whirring sound as the visor moved up and away from my face, allowing me to sit up, though I stayed lying down. The woman then walked back over to me. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

I didn't know how to answer her, so I just stayed quiet, slowly looking over the woman. She had shortish, golden brown hair and wore a white shirt underneath some sort of robe or gown. I could tell by the look in her golden-colored eyes that she didn't mean me any harm, so I decided to answer her. "I-I…" I stammered, realizing I didn't really know what to say. I began breathing much more heavily until the woman calmed me.

"Shh… it's okay…" the woman cooed, "I didn't mean to rush you. Why don't you take a moment to gather your thoughts and then tell me, okay?"

I closed my eyes as I slowed my breathing right down, trying to think how I could best answer her question. Besides having a small headache, I felt fine in every sense, but I didn't know where I was or why I was even here. "I've got a headache…" I mumbled.

The woman nodded knowingly. "How you're feeling now is perfectly normal, so don't worry. My name is Seria, what's yours?" she asked.

I looked into Seria's eyes and gave her my answer. "Tyler… My name is Tyler Nochi…"

"Tyler…" Seria muttered. "That's a great name!" she smiled.

"Th-thank you…" I murmured, doing my best to sit up. My hands were weak though, struggling even to support my upper body. Seria then extended her hand out to me, which I took, assuming that she wanted to help me up.

I assumed right as Seria pulled me to my feet. However, I wasn't very steady and I stumbled forward. Thankfully, Seria caught me, holding onto my waist tightly as she served as my crutch. "Oh my! Are you okay?!"

"Y-yes… I'm sorry about that…" I apologized.

"You don't need to apologize. You've been under for quite a while." Seria assured me, gently turning me around and taking my hand in hers. "Let's take a walk around the room, help get some feeling back into those legs."

I nodded and shakily took a step forward, my entire body wobbling. If Seria hadn't have been there, I was sure that I would've fallen and never gotten up. Ever so slowly, I began to walk, Seria by my side and holding her hand in mine, offering gentle encouragement every time I took an uneasy step.

After a couple of laps around the room, I was able to walk without Seria holding me. I couldn't understand as to how I wasn't able to walk before. Even though Seria said I'd been unconscious for a while, it felt like it was more than that, like my body had somehow forgotten how to walk. That didn't matter now though, as I seemed to be doing just fine walking without Seria's assistance.

"That's great, Tyler!" Seria smiled, "Here, I've got something for you." she said, turning away and picking up some weird contraption that was resting on one of the machines before giving it to me.

Somehow, I recognized what it was right away. It was a Duel Disk. I slotted the Duel Disk over my left arm and readjusted the strap until it fitted my wrist comfortably. "Thank you…" I muttered.

Seria smiled once more. "You're welcome." Seria glanced over at a monitor before looking back to me. "I'll help you get settled in. Come on."

Taking my hand, Seria led me out of the room. I found myself taken aback by my new surroundings. The place I was in seemed like a palace. Bronze and copper statues littered the halls and fine velvet seemed to serve as the carpet. Seria took me into an elevator and then, once we'd reached another floor, led me to a locked room, taking a card out of her pocket and swiping it in a little scanner near the door. The door unlocked and Seria motioned for me to join her as she went inside.

I walked inside and was met by two other boys, both wearing the same clothing that Seria had on. One of the boys had dark brown hair, tan skin and aside from his clothing had a small pair of glasses over his eyes. The other had messy blond hair, light skin and freckles.

"This will be your room from today onwards. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to stop by the lab. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have." Seria explained, before twitching. "Oh! I almost forgot, here's a Deck that you can use."

Seria reached into her pocket and handed me a deck of cards along with the key card which she used to open up the room. "Thank you…" I muttered, slotting the deck into my Duel Disk and shoving the key card in my pocket.

It was at that point I realized that I also seemed to be wearing the same clothes as Seria and the two other boys, though I noticed that while Seria's centerpiece was baby blue and the two boys' was lavender, mine was a folly red. I also seemed to be fairly well-built, although my stark-black hair was a mess. "Now, that Deck has been created from a pre-constructed set, so be careful not to mix up or misplace any of the cards, okay?" Seria told me. I nodded. Seria then turned to the other boys. "Sayer will be coming by soon to give you your first set of orders shortly, so you two had better be ready for when he arrives."

"Yes, ma'am…" both boys said.

"Good." Seria smiled, "You should prepare as well, Tyler." She added, but before I could ask what I had to even prepare for, Seria had already walked out of the room, the door closing behind her.

Sheepishly, I turned back around to the other boys. "It is a pleasure to meet you." the tan-skinned boy spoke up. "My name is Okita Konowara. I'm sure we'll get along smashingly."

I smiled at how jovial the young man was, before the blond stepped forward. "Some new blood, eh…?" he muttered with a slight uneasiness in his voice. "I'm Liquid Hebi. What's your name?" he asked.

"Uh, Tyler… Tyler Nochi." I answered quickly.

"Tyler, eh?" Liquid seemed to ponder something. "Well, good to have you on board."

I still had plenty of questions that needed answering, but I knew I couldn't go and see Seria now, not with Sayer supposedly on his way here. For now, I'd just have to sit tight and keep my questions to myself.

"Hey!" Liquid shouted, pulling me out of my thoughts. "What're you staring into space for? You got anything goin' on upstairs there?" he asked me.

"What?" I asked.

"Hey now, get ahold of yourself! This is the Arcadia Movement Headquarters!" Liquid seemed slightly irritated by my response.

"Arcadia Movement…?" I muttered.

"Yes, the Arcadia Movement." Liquid sighed.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to figure some stuff out…" I murmured.

"Okay, give your brain a rest 'til we get some instructions then." Liquid suggested.

I looked around the room. It was small, only possessing two beds, two windows, one bedside drawer and a bench. I could already tell that both Okita and Liquid had claimed ownership of the two beds. So I just sat down on the bench and decided to go through the deck that Seria gave me.

Most of the cards I had in my Deck I had recalled seeing at some point or another, which was weird, because I was unable to pinpoint exactly when I had seen most of these cards, or how I even knew how to use them. I began sorting my cards into various piles based on the sorts of combos my deck could use.

Just as I finished shuffling and recombining the Deck, the door to our room opened up, and Sayer walked in. I cautiously got up off the bench and walked over to where Okita and Liquid were.

"Psychic Duelists, listen up!" Sayer barked, causing Okita and Liquid to straighten themselves up quickly. I followed suit, though I was confused. Sayer had admitted to Seria while I was in their company that I had no such psychic powers. So why would he say that I was one? And why did he want it to be kept a secret?

I sighed, thinking it would be best not to ask and just go with it for the time being.

"The next operation to be carried out by our very own Arcadia Movement has been decided upon!" Sayer began, "Our target will be the Sector Security event, the Fortune Cup. Apparently, a large number of Duelists with amazing skills are set to participate in this tournament, with the winner being crowned the champion of New Domino City." Sayer explained. "Of course, the title has little interest to me. The main reason for going is that we suspect Sector Security to be plotting something behind the scenes… And I can't let them go about their business without any oversight now, can I?!" Sayer asked.

"No, sir!" Liquid spoke up, only to receive a glare from Sayer. I got the feeling that he wasn't really asking us a question, and was more talking out loud.

Sayer turned back towards the door. "Akiza, come!" he shouted.

A young girl, probably around my age, meekly stepped into the room, before making her way over to Sayer. She had dark burgundy hair and wore a victorian-style outfit that showed off a good amount of cleavage. A silver hairpin was positioned at the top of her head to keep her front bangs positioned away from her eyes. I'll be honest; she was a very beautiful girl.

"Everyone, this is Akiza Izinski, though you might know her as the Black Rose Witch. She has been invited to take part in the Fortune Cup." Sayer explained, motioning to the girl.

"Hi…" Akiza said, somewhat coldly, and yet somewhat bashfully. She was sticking unnervingly close to Sayer and seemed to be hanging off his every word.

"I need the three of you to infiltrate the rear of the event hall in order to support her." Sayer began. "That being said, the arena will be heavily guarded, and as you're all novices, you probably won't have enough power to bend a psychic Duel to your will. Not like Akiza anyway…"

"Yes, sir…" Liquid and Okita muttered. I joined in about halfway through.

"The three of you will have to work together! Consider it a kind of field training." Sayer said, turning back to Akiza. "Akiza, make sure you give those other contestants a real taste of your powers! Show them the power of the Black Rose Witch!"

"Yes, sir." Akiza bowed. "Everything will be as you wish, Sayer."

Sayer then turned toward Okita, Liquid and I. "All right then. You three, head on over to the tournament area. And don't fail me!" and with that, Sayer left the room with Akiza following closely behind.

I'm sure that Sayer didn't mean it to come across this way, but his words sounded a lot more threatening than he needed them to be. I looked over at Okita and Liquid, who were both strapping on their Duel Disks.

"Oh well… To think our first mission is at the Fortune Cup…" Okita murmured.

"All the more reason for us to get it right then." I smiled, though I truly had no idea what the Fortune Cup even really was.

"Well," Liquid piped up as the door to our room opened, "there's no sense in wasting time. Let's get to work!"


	2. Demons You Show

The stadium where the Fortune Cup was taking place turned out to be a short walk from the Arcadia Movement Headquarters. There was a lot of security around the event hall, so Okita, Liquid and I decided to take a seat at a nearby bench to gather our thoughts and think up just exactly how we were going to get the three of us inside.

Sayer had already taken Akiza into the main event hall, and we weren't able to go in that way, as it required us to show off our invitations, which of course we did not have.

"We're not actually entered in the tournament, so we can't get in from the front." Liquid explained, eyeing all of the security, which to me seemed a little unnecessary for a Duel Monsters tournament.

"So what do we do then?" I asked.

"I'll look around here," Okita suggested. "You go look around the entrance gate…"

I nodded, walking up through the New Domino plaza and making my way to the entrance gate, where a Sector Security officer was standing guard. I walked up to him, but as soon as I opened my mouth, he cut me off.

"This is the stadium for the Fortune Cup. Only those who have been confirmed to be competing are allowed beyond this point." the officer explained.

"Okay then. Thank you for your time." I smiled weakly, realizing it was probably futile to reason with him. After all, I didn't have an invitation, so there was no way I could validate myself as a participant of the tournament and actually enter the stadium.

Instead, I turned back and made my way through the plaza and back over to where Liquid was standing, alone. "There's absolutely no way that we can get through the front." I informed. "The guy didn't even let me speak. He just totally interrupted me."

"Well, it was worth a shot." Liquid sighed.

"Guys!" Okita called out. Liquid and I turned to see him running over towards us.

"Okita, what is it?" Liquid asked.

"I believe I found a way that we can enter the stadium from! Follow me!" Okita ordered, running away from us. Liquid and I shrugged our shoulders before chasing after the tan-skinned boy.

Okita led us to the opposite side of the stadium, where there was absolutely no one around besides us three. There was a medium-sized vent that seemed to lead into the building. "So this is how we get in?" Liquid panted.

"Unfortunately, it's the only way to get in and out without getting spotted. I highly doubt there will be Sector Security hanging about a ventilation shaft." Okita said.

"In that case," Liquid began, taking a deep breath. "We'll watch to make sure nobody's coming. You go in first, Tyler."

"Okay." I sighed. I did have objections with me being the first to go in, but I suppose that someone had to go in. So in a way, I was glad that it was me.

"We'll meet up with you in the waiting room." Liquid said as I was able to quite easily pull the cover off the vent. I was able to easily crawl inside and make my way through to the other side.

I soon realized why there was no security. The place was a shipping yard. There were boxes piled high and scattered around everywhere. I treaded lightly, not wanting the sound of my footsteps to carry throughout the room in case there was someone else in here with me. I walked around, inspecting the area for some time, searching for an exit.

Now, despite what I thought would happen, I eventually did make it out of there. I found an unlocked door which led out to the docking bay which was conveniently located right next to a side entrance to the stadium.

Heading inside the massive double doors, I expected that there would be plenty of Duelists in the area, and I would need to hurry. That wasn't the case. Although I could hear a massive crowd cheering outside, the waiting room was deserted.

I didn't have to wait as long as I thought I would for Liquid to show up. "Hey, Tyler. I hear lots of cheering going on. Has the Duel finished or something?" Liquid asked, running up to me.

"I'm not sure, but this place is deserted so I assume so." I told him.

"Well if it's over, we'd better get moving! We can't risk getting found out now!" Liquid shouted.

"Agreed. But what about Okita? Where is he?" I asked.

"I don't know. He ran off somewhere! Probably to the Duel Field!" Liquid guessed.

"Well, whatever he's doing, he's taking forever…!" I groaned. We both heard the rush of footsteps as Okita stepped through the door of the waiting room, hands on his knees, panting.

"Okita, what happened?" I asked.

"I apologize for my lateness, but I have news! Akiza Izinski just lost the semi-final match."

"What?!" Liquid shouted.

"Oh no!" I added.

"Don't we need her to win for this plan to work?" Liquid asked. Okita and I both shrugged. "Well, what do we do now then?!"

"I guess we just have to go home and forget about it. Even coming here was probably a waste of time now…" Okita murmured.

"We'd better head off before people start flooding through." I said.

Okita shook his head. "The finals match is starting soon. I don't think anyone in the crowd would want to miss that, so I think we're free to hang around here for a little bit…"

"And do what?" Liquid asked.

"Well…" Okita smirked. "Why don't we take a peek around before we go on our merry little way?"

"I guess there's no harm in that." Liquid said. "How 'bout it, Tyler?"

"Alright, but I think we should stick together this time." I said. Okita and Liquid both nodded as we made our way out of the waiting room. We were just about to head down the hall when we heard footsteps coming our way, so we hung back.

"Nice job, Akiza. Now let's go home." Sayer's voice sounded, causing us to sigh with relief that it wasn't a Sector Security officer. But why was Sayer congratulating Akiza on a loss?

"But I… I…" I heard Akiza trail off.

"Let's go. You need to rest now." Sayer said softly as both he and Akiza came into our view. Sayer turned to us. "Everyone, the plan is on hold. We're going home." he instructed.

"Yes, sir." we said, following behind Sayer until camp laughter stopped us in our tracks.

"Akiza Izinski, stop right there!" a voice called out.

The five of us turned to see a man with a large shock of brown hair wearing a white suit exit the elevator leading to the duel field. On opposite sides of him were two men in suits and shades. "My name is Zigzix Akutsu, and I have been given orders by Director Goodwin to escort you to his office."

"As if I would ever want to give _him_ the time of day…" Sayer muttered, causing us to turn to him.

"If you won't come willingly, then I suppose I'll just have to take you by force then!" Zigzix shouted. The two men beside him slowly advanced towards us.

"I don't have time for this nonsense… I have to take Akiza home so she can rest…" Sayer muttered, taking a card out of his pocket before holding it up above his head. I was only just barely able to get a look at the card as a wave of energy seemed to erupt out of it, knocking the two suited men to the ground, unconscious.

"Holy crap…" I whispered, not realizing until now the power of a Psychic Duelist.

Sayer stepped forward towards Zigzix. "You saw first-hand the power of the Black Rose Witch, and you _still_ thought your goons could challenge me?" Sayer asked. "If you don't want to end up like your guards, or _worse_ , I suggest you get on your knees and crawl right back to your Director."

Zigzix wearily took a step back, before rushing into the elevator, fearfully mashing buttons on the elevator as the doors slowly closed.

"Maybe next time you'll think about crossing the Arcadia Movement!" Sayer called out with a snicker. Chuckling, he and Akiza turned back to exit the stadium. I, however, was shell-shocked from witnessing the powers of a Psychic Duelist. After all, if Sayer possessed those powers, then that meant that Akiza, Liquid, Okita and Seria all did too. I sucked in a big breath of air as my throat tightened. They might not have all been at the same level of strength, but I was sure that if any of them wanted to kill me with their cards, they'd have no trouble doing so.

"Come on, Tyler, let's beat it. We don't have any more reason to be here." Liquid said, walking over to me while Okita followed Sayer and Akiza out.

"I-I'll catch up with you… J-just give me a minute…" I murmured, looking over at Zigzix's unconscious posse. Liquid nodded, heading out with the others.

I was probably standing there for far longer than I should have been, because when I turned to run out the stadium doors, I ran smack into somebody. I grunted as one moment I felt a softness at my front and then a sharp pain in my back as I was knocked to the ground.

"Oh no! Are you alright? I'm such a klutz! Here let me help you up." a smooth-sounding feminine voice sounded above me. I looked up to see a young woman in a blue and white striped shirt which was worn underneath an orange vest offer me her hand to get up.

"It's my fault." I assured the girl. "I was too into my thoughts and didn't watch where I was going."

The girl bent down to pick up her glasses, which I realized greatly obscured my view of her light blue eyes. When she looked back at me, she gasped.

"What?" I asked.

"That uniform… You're a Duelist from the Arcadia Movement, right?" the woman asked.

"Yeah…" I said, unsure of where she was going with this.

"I'm Carly Carmine, journalist! I want you to tell me everything you know about the Arcadia Movement!" she insisted, pulling out a tape recorder and slowly advancing on me.

Even though I didn't really know much about the Arcadia Movement, something inside me told me that giving this girl any kind of information at all would have been a bad idea. "I'm sorry," I began. "If you want to know about the Arcadia Movement, you'll need to talk to someone else."

"But that's-"

Carly and I both gasped at the sound of engines roaring. We turned towards the elevator. "What's that?" I asked.

"The finals match… Has it already started…?" Carly pondered, before straightening herself up.

A loud cry echoed through both of our ears. It was so loud that I dropped to my knees. I clutched my head in agony as the headache that I had experienced earlier in the day returned and intensified. "The _Hell_?!" I shouted.

"What was with that loud screeching just now?!" Carly asked when it finally died down.

"I dunno. Maybe we should just get out of here." I said.

"No way!" Carly insisted. "I've gotta get to the stadium, pronto!" she said, running into the elevator.

Taking a split-second to think it over, I decided to follow Carly into the elevator. "Hold the door!" I shouted. Carly did as I asked and prevented the doors from closing until I was inside with her.

An awkward silence followed as we just stared at the elevator doors, lounge music playing through the speakers. When the doors opened, Carly and I scrambled out of the elevator and could do nothing but look up at a giant red dragon in the sky. As quick as I was at looking up at the dragon, it disappeared in an instant, leaving me stunned. My head was killing me by now.

"Whoa! This is gonna be _huge_! I gotta get an interview!" Carly hyped, running to one of the stands as the Commentator's voice played through the speakers surrounding the arena.

"Oh, the drama! What a shocker! No one could have predicted this! Today, we have witnessed the birth of a new King of Turbo Duels, _Yusei_ _Fudo_!"

"Yusei…?" I muttered. That name felt so familiar to me.

The pain I was experiencing now was so great that my eyes had actually forced themselves shut. And then, the pain faded, along with the noise of the crowd.

Hesitantly, I opened my eyes slowly. The first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in New Domino City anymore. I seemed to be floating in the sky above a ruined town. Many of the buildings that I saw were old and run down, the sky dark with smog, the stale air blowing empty bottles and cans across the ground. An empty can rolled by a group of people just as one of them brought their foot up and then down again, crushing the can beneath them. My eyes locked onto the five individuals. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I recognized that one of individuals, the one who crushed the can, was a younger version of me.

And just like that, the pain in my head made itself known once more, and the crowd roared with excitement. Before I knew it, I was back at the stadium. Breathing heavily, I wiped the sweat from my face, turned and ran back into the elevator.

I felt like if I stayed at the Fortune Cup stadium any longer, I would pass out. I had to get back to the Arcadia Movement.

The elevator doors opened and I made a mad dash out of the event hall. This time around, there was no security at the front gate, probably because the tournament was 'officially' over. Regardless, I let myself through the gate and sprinted back to the Arcadia Movement Headquarters as fast as my legs could carry me.

Stumbling through the headquarters, I made it to the elevator, and then to my room, frantically swiping the card through the scanner several times over to get the door open.

"Tyler, hey-" Liquid stopped, probably because I looked like a mess. Without another word, I ripped off my Duel Disk and collapsed face-down on the bench.


	3. An Honest Mistake

The neon strip around the door to our room flickered as the lights from the ceiling turned on, following suit. I turned over, trying to shield my eyes from the light, but it was no use. I grunted, mumbling a couple curses under my breath as I slid my legs over the side of the bench as I got up wearily. I was surprised to see that both Liquid and Okita were already wide awake and seemingly ready to take on whatever the day had in store for them.

"Guess you're feeling better now, huh?" Liquid asked, looking me over as my eyes met his.

"Y-yeah…" I murmured, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"After you staggered on in here yesterday and fell right to sleep, I was kinda worried." Liquid admitted.

"Sorry, Liquid. I guess it was just nerves or something. But I'm fine now." I assured him, smiling gently.

"Well you'd better be. If that's what you're like on your very first day, I can't say the future's looking good for you…" he said bluntly, causing my smile to fade instantly. What a fantastic start to the day…

"I'm very pleased that you're feeling alright today, Tyler. I just hope it was nothing too serious." Okita piped up, my smile returning.

"Thanks, Okita." I grinned. At least one of my new friends was concerned for my wellbeing.

"So Tyler, am I right in understanding that you are to start training today?" Okita presumed, changing the subject.

"Training?" I asked.

"Yes, at the Training Room." Okita confirmed. "Liquid and I completed ours yesterday, but Seria gave you a pardon after seeing your condition."

"I see…" I muttered.

"She should be down at the Training Room waiting for you." Liquid said.

"Okay." I said getting up off the bench and walking to the doorframe, before turning back. "Um, where exactly is the Training Room?" I asked, causing Liquid to let out an exasperated sigh.

"Just exit this building and head west. Unless you're blind, you can't miss it!" Liquid chuckled.

I rolled my eyes at Liquid's attempt of a 'joke' and left the room without saying anything. I made my way to the elevator and got to the ground floor. Leaving the main building, I followed the exterior pathway to where the Training Room supposedly was. Swiping my key card, I made my way inside.

The Training Room itself was rather dull. Four chalk-drawn Duel fields were evenly spaced throughout the room, which was lit poorly by a pale blue fluorescent light. Standing at one end of one of the Duel fields was Seria, who was surprisingly the only person in the Training Room aside from myself.

"Tyler, _hey_!" Seria called out happily as I briskly walked up to her.

"Hi, Seria!" I tried to match her enthusiasm, but failed.

"You're looking a lot better today." Seria smiled.

"I feel a lot better, thank you." I said.

"That's good." Seria smiled. "Normally, Check is the one who runs the Puzzle Training, but I thought it would be better if I took you through it today."

"Thank you. I appreciate that." I said.

Seria glanced at my Duel Disk. "Okay. I'll just set up the field." She said, sliding a card into her Duel Disk. "You won't need your Deck for this, just these." Seria explained, handing me a bunch of cards as I removed my Deck and placed it in my pocket. I slid the cards that Seria gave me on my Duel Disk. "You ready?" she asked.

"Uh… yeah…" I said.

"Alright then. Without further ado, let's get started!" Seria hyped, activating her Duel Disk.

I took steps backwards until the entirety of the Duel field was within my view, and then activated my Duel Disk.

[Tyler: 1000 LP]  
[Seria: 2600 LP]

"Okay, Tyler. I want you to try and defeat me this turn." Seria urged.

"Um… alright then…" I murmured. I quietly looked over the field, mapping out several different scenarios in my head. My biggest concern was the only card – a face-down card – that Seria had on the field. If I summoned either of the monsters I had in my hand, I could attack right away with the Tune Warrior I already had out and win the game. But that face-down… I didn't have any Spell or Trap removal, so if Seria's card was something like Magic Cylinder or Ring of Destruction, I'd be screwed. Of course though, Seria said that I had to try and beat her this turn, so the only option I had was to summon another monster and attack with both.

I quickly shook my head. "I summon Acrobat Monkey in Attack Position!" I shouted, gently slotting the card into my Duel Disk. A robotic monkey appeared on my field to the left of my Tune Warrior.

[Acrobat Monkey: ATK: 1000]  
[Tune Warrior: ATK: 1600]

"Attack, Acrobat Monkey!" I shouted, flinging my hand forward. My monster did a variety of jumps and flips, making its way over to Seria and knocking her to the ground.

[Seria: 1600 LP]

I was a bit perplexed as to why one attack was enough to knock Seria down. As far I knew, she possessed the same Psychic abilities as Sayer and Akiza. Perhaps not as powerful, but still. I didn't think I'd be strong enough to knock her down. Nevertheless, I hesitated, waiting for Seria to pick herself up off the ground, before I attacked her with my Tune Warrior, winning me the Duel.

[Seria: 0 LP]

Seria dusted herself down, before looking over and smiling at me. "Excellent work, Tyler!"

"Really? Are you serious?" I asked softly. I wasn't sure if Seria was kidding or not. The puzzle seemed far too easy for it to be considered any kind of training, in my opinion. But if she thought I did a good job, then who was I to complain, right? Besides, I did have a pretty stressful day yesterday. Perhaps she took that into account when she saw my condition and made the puzzle incredibly easy. Or maybe the puzzle was the same for both Okita and Liquid when they started training. Whatever the reason behind the puzzle's complexity, or lack thereof, I was appreciative that it was easy. After the rather confusing day I had, I didn't really want to use my brain for a while.

"I'll go and inform Sayer of your _terrific_ progress!" Seria beamed as I handed back the cards I used for the puzzle. "Oh, I forgot to mention, tomorrow you'll need to head down to the Outer Rim on the other side of New Domino City for your Duel Runner training. Unfortunately, I won't be the instructor for that, but I'm sure you'll perform well with instructor Kawasaki."

I nodded. "Thank you for today, Seria."

"No problem, Tyler." Seria, once again, smiled warmly, before leaving the Training Room.

Taking a few moments to collect my thoughts, I then followed suit. As far as I knew, I was done for the day, and so I decided to see if I could catch up on the sleep that I was robbed of earlier on in the day. I headed back into the main building, and swiped my key card to get into the elevator.

I was almost back at my room when I heard a voice. " _Help_! _Please_! _Someone_!" I stood completely still and blinked a few times.

The voice.

I recognized it. It was that same voice I'd heard in the forest. The voice of that little girl. It echoed in my head, but as quickly as it came to me, it faded away, as if the voice was silenced.

I'd heard it again, I thought. Did that mean the girl was still lost? Was _I_ the only one who could hear her? How was I supposed to save her?

"Ah Tyler, there you are!" Sayer said, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turned to see him approaching me, a smile across his face.

"Hello Sayer… sir." I added, feeling particularly awkward having to talk to him one-on-one.

"You look a lot better than you did yesterday. You really gave me… _Us…_ quite a scare." Sayer smirked.

"I'm feeling a lot better, thank you." I said, trying to be as polite and sound as formal as possible.

"Seria told me that you've finished your training." Sayer smiled. "She sounded very impressed by your skills."

"Yeah… I, um… start my Duel Runner training tomorrow…" I muttered.

"Excellent. Well, you've finished your training for the day. I guess you could come and help me sharpen Akiza up. Follow me!" he ordered. Sharpen Akiza up?

I noticed that Sayer's demeanor had changed from easy-going and friendly to serious in all but a split second. I still didn't know my way around the building that well, so I followed Sayer closely until we reached a door.

It was different to all the others in the building. It had double doors, and what I assumed to be gold running around the doorframe. Sayer gently turned the knob and opened the door, revealing to me his office. At least, that's what I assumed the room to be.

The room was fitted with marble statues depicting various different monsters, blue drapes and a burgundy carpet. An air conditioner mounted on the wall let out a soft continuous hum as the breeze created brushed through my hair. All in all, Sayer's office was a truly impressive sight. "Come!" Sayer ordered. Doing as he said, I followed him into the room.

It was then that I saw Akiza again. She had her same outfit on which left little to my imagination. She was standing on one side of the room and had a spaced-out expression on her face. I walked to the opposite side of the room as Sayer went to the center. "Now, I want you to Duel against Akiza." Sayer said calmly. As for me, I nearly did a spit-take. At the Fortune Cup, Sayer knocked two beefy guys unconscious with a single card. He couldn't possibly expect me to stand up to Akiza, who was apparently the Arcadia Movement's best Duelist, could he?

"Akiza," Sayer began, directing his attention to her. Akiza's eyes brightened, as if just hearing her name spoken by Sayer gave her great joy. "It looks like you're still not in perfect condition, so don't overdo it, okay?" Sayer said softly. "Just take it easy and think of this as light training." he smirked.

I don't know why, but I felt offended when he said 'light training'. As if I was nothing but a tool used to bring out someone else's abilities. Abilities which he said from the very start that I don't possess. It was right then that I decided I would go all-out to prove to Sayer that I was anything but 'light training'. So what if Akiza was the Arcadia Movement's best Duelist, I still had a chance, right?

"So you're my opponent." Akiza said turning to me. "You must be tired of training…"

"Uh… A little bit…" I blushed. It was of course the first time that Akiza had directly spoken to me, and to be honest, I was a little shy.

"Well thanks for Dueling with me anyway." Akiza smiled sweetly.

"You're welco-" I began.

"Akiza." Sayer interrupted, causing Akiza to turn to him eagerly. "There is no need for such small talk. Just think of this only as something to help bring back your senses." Sayer ordered.

"Yes sir." Akiza said, turning back to me. "Very well, let's begin." she said as we both activated our Duel Disks.

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Akiza: 4000 LP]

"You can start, if you'd like." I told her.

"Thanks." Akiza smiled, drawing a card. "I'll Set one monster onto the field, and then place one other card face-down. To end my turn, I play Black Garden!" My eyes widened as Akiza slid the card into her Duel Disk, thick green vines bursting out of the ground, climbing the walls of Sayer's office and covering the floor. I had to quickly step out of the way as a couple of the vines went straight at my feet. Violet roses started to bloom out from the sides of the vines. "My turn's over." She told me.

"Okay…" I breathed, drawing. "I place two cards face-down. And then I Summon Telekinetic Shocker!" I shouted as my monster appeared on my field [ATK: 1700].

Sayer smirked as Akiza threw her hand forward. "Black Garden's effect activates!" I watched as a red rose appeared on her field [Rose Token: ATK: 800] and thorns quickly ensnared my monster [Telekinetic Shocker: ATK: 850].

"What?!" I shouted.

"While Black Garden is on the field, all Normal or Special Summoned monsters have their attack power halved. And then each time a Monster is Summoned, the opposing player gets a Rose Token." Akiza explained. "Sorry, I probably should have explained that to you."

"No, no, that's okay. My mistake. I should have asked."

Sayer groaned. "You're supposed to be Dueling, not having a friendly chat." He said.

"Sorry, sir." I turned and bowed to Sayer, before looking back at Akiza. "In that case, I'll just enter my Battle Phase and attack your Rose Token with Telekinetic Shocker."

Electricity pulsed from my Monster's hands as it surged forward, incinerating Akiza's rose.

[Akiza: 3950 LP]

"I end my turn."

"My turn then, draw!" Akiza announced, "I Summon my Witch of the Black Rose!" A young girl, looking very similar in appearance to Akiza, appeared on her field, before getting touched by the Black Garden's vines. "Of course, with Black Garden, my witch's attack is halved." [ATK: 850] On my field, a Rose Token popped up in Attack Position [ATK: 800]. "Then, I Flip Summon Lord Poison." Akiza's Set monster flipped up, revealing a terrifying demonic creature [ATK: 1500].

"How come Lord Poison's attack power didn't decrease?" I asked.

"Black Garden's effect doesn't apply to monsters that are Flip Summoned."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I'll attack your Rose Token with my Witch of the Black Rose, and then your Telekinetic Shocker with my Lord Poison."

Akiza's Witch of the Black Rose threw its staff forward, blasting my Rose Token to dust and knocking me off my feet. I face-planted into the ground, and it took me a while to realize that I'd actually felt that. Before I could even react, Lord Poison leaped forward, ripping my Telekinetic Shocker to shreds.

[Tyler: 3300 LP]

"Are you okay?" Akiza asked.

"Y-yeah…" I lied, not wanting Akiza to think I was weak.

"Alright, well, I end my turn." Akiza said as I shakily got to my feet, drawing a card from my Deck.

"I reveal Brain Control!" I shouted, flipping over my rightmost card, which for some reason caused Sayer to snicker.

[Tyler: 2500 LP]

"And I wanna take control of Lord Poison." I told her. Akiza nodded, Lord Poison quickly getting pulled to my side of the field. "Next, I Summon another Telekinetic Shocker!" Once again, my red and gray-suited monster appeared in front of me, before quickly getting its attack reduced by Akiza's Black Garden [ATK: 850]. At the same time, a Rose Token appeared on Akiza's field [ATK: 800]. "Now I activate the Equip Spell Psychic Sword to increase the attack of my Telekinetic Shocker!" A cool-looking sword appeared in my Monster's hand [Telekinetic Shocker: ATK: 2300]. "Finally, I enter my Battle Phase, and attack your Rose Token with my Telekinetic Shocker!"

My monster raised its sword high above its head before bringing it down on Akiza's rose, slicing it in half.

[Akiza: 2450 LP]

"And now, Lord Poison, attack the Witch of the Black Rose!" I shouted, Lord Poison ripping the young witch to shreds.

[Akiza: 1800 LP]

I glanced over at Sayer, who I'd hoped would seem even just a little bit impressed by the move I just pulled off, but Sayer wasn't even looking at me, just staring at Akiza and mumbling something under his breath. Looking back at Akiza, I noticed how completely unfazed she was, unlike when she attacked me. "Okay, I end my turn." I told Akiza, Lord Poison getting pulled back to her side of the field.

"Then I draw!" she shouted, "And I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my Black Garden!"

I had to brace myself as a cyclone whipped up inside Sayer's office, completely obliterating all the vines, thorns and flowers that had previously covered it. I cringed, "Why would you-"

"And then next, I activate Dark Hole!" in the center of the field, a massive black hole appeared from out of nowhere, sucking Lord Poison into it. I felt my feet start to lift off the ground, and grabbed onto one of the room's statues to secure myself until the hole disappeared. "Now, I Summon Lonefire Blossom, but it won't be sticking around for long, because I'm going to use its special ability, and sacrifice it to Summon Tytannial, Princess of Camellias!"

As soon as Lonefire Blossom appeared on the field, it shattered almost like glass, and a giant red rose appeared in its place, which then started to bloom, revealing the upper-body of a peach-skinned red and green woman [Tytannial, Princess of Camellias: ATK: 2800].

I took an uneasy step back as Akiza shouted "Tytannial, attack his Life Points directly!", and the next thing I knew, I found myself thrown back against the statue I'd hung onto, only the force of Tytannial's attack ended up breaking it in half, shredding the top half of my uniform to pieces before I dropped to the ground.

[Tyler: 0 LP]

When Akiza saw how much damage her monster had done to me, her eyes widened and she ran up to me, myself struggling to my feet.

"Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" Akiza said, wrapping her hands around mine as if to support me so I wouldn't suddenly collapse. "I wanted to control my psychic powers, but they just… came out!"

I breathed heavily, unintentionally emphasizing the damage she had done to me during our Duel. "I'm fine…" I said weakly, it clearly showing in my voice that I was anything but fine.

Sayer walked up to us. "She still can't fully control her powers…" I heard him mumble. Sayer glanced at me before turning to Akiza. "You must still be a little tired. Take the rest of the day off." he told her.

"But… he's hurt and-" Akiza began.

Sayer sighed, and tipped Akiza's chin to his own with his hand, causing Akiza to let go of mine. "Akiza, look into my eyes. I'm sure our friend will be okay. There's no need for you to worry." Sayer said calmly.

"Yes, sir…" Akiza muttered as Sayer left, with Akiza following closely behind. She looked back at me briefly, a concerned expression across her face, before she turned and headed out the door.

My legs eventually gave in and I collapsed onto the soft carpet. My vision began to blur as the effects of the psychic Duel took their toll on my psyche and my body. The rhythm of my heartbeat slowed down incredibly as my breathing softened, eventually doing the same. The cool air blown from the room's air conditioner seemed more intense now than ever, especially against my bare chest. Numbness overcame me as a shadow made its way across the outside of the room.

I could feel the rush of footsteps from the vibrations in the ground. Just as I felt myself slipping away into unconsciousness, the source of the shadow frantically ran into the room and knelt down beside me, putting one of their hands on my right shoulder. I wasn't able to distinguish who it was, what with my body going out on me and the person's voice being muffled as a result, but I knew one thing, and in that moment, I had to believe it with all of my heart:

I would be okay…


	4. The Turning Point

I struggled.

It was the only thing I could do. I was there again, facing up to Akiza's Tytannial, Princess of Camellias, Sayer watching from a distance. As Akiza's monster unleashed her final attack, I watched as my skin began to rot. Akiza wore a sinister grin on her face, unlike last time, as if she took pleasure in the pain she was dealing, my final moments. Sayer looked over at me, perfectly content to just stand and watch as my body withered away, and death approached me.

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly and pushed myself up, every fiber in my body practically screaming at me for even ushering any kind of movement. I must have subconsciously made a sound, because Okita and Liquid both got up out of their beds and rushed over to me as I collapsed back down on the bench I was on.

"Easy, Tyler…!" Okita cautioned.

"Wha…? What happened…?" I mumbled.

"You don't remember?" Okita asked.

"I remember Akiza beating the crap out of me and then Sayer and her leaving…" I muttered. "And… someone came in afterwards…"

"Seria found you in unconscious in Sayer's office and brought you back here after patching you up." Liquid explained.

"Um… What do you mean by 'patching me up' exactly?" I asked, turning myself slowly as my legs hung off the side of the bench.

"Well we don't know. She brought you back here to rest and you already had a new uniform on. Anyway, you're awake now, right? So you start Duel Runner training today."

"I-I… um… wait, what?" I asked.

"Duel Runner training. Didn't Seria tell you yesterday? Apparently, the Arcadia Movement was able to secure exclusive use of the track in the Outer Rim for today only." Okita said. "Sayer said that it was really important that we all learn to ride on Duel Runners."

"Don't worry, we're all in the same boat. Mine starts in a couple minutes, yours starts at noon, and Okita's got his in the afternoon." Liquid jumped in.

"R-Riding a Duel Runner… I don't know…" I was still a little uneasy about the whole thing. I had never even owned a Duel Runner, let alone ridden one. And now I was expected to go through some training course?

"Look, Tyler. You'll be fine." Okita assured me, sensing the look of distress on my face.

"Yeah, I mean, worst case scenario, you'll get thrown off the Runner and get a couple scrapes and bruises. But hey, you'd be in better shape than you were after your Duel with Akiza." Liquid chuckled.

"Shouldn't you be heading to the Outer Rim?" I asked, not really wanting to sit here and listen and listen to Liquid's jokes.

"Crap! You're right! See ya, guys!" Liquid, realizing that he was supposed to have left by now in order to make it on time, turned and ran out of the room, heading to the Outer Rim to begin his Duel Runner training.

"Don't feel too bad for losing to Akiza. She's the Arcadia Movement's best. Some say she's even better than Sayer. A lot of the other members thought you had guts going up against her."

"Great. So everyone in this place knows I lost?"

"Yeah, but no one cares that you lost." Okita sighed. "Well, except for Akiza. She came by while you were asleep and asked about how you were. Then she went on about how one of her opponents in the Fortune Cup said that all she could do was cause pain, and that maybe he was right."

"It's not her fault if she can't control her powers." I said. "Maybe I'd better go talk to her. Let her know that I don't hold her responsible for what happened."

"Well, yeah. I guess you could do that. Just be sure to be at the Outer Rim by noon."

"Wait, so you don't want to come with me?" I asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm thinking of heading to the Reference Room and reading up on what I can about Duel Runners. I'd prefer to be fully prepared and know what to expect then be like Liquid and just wing it." Okita explained.

"Alright, fair enough. You go and have 'fun'… 'reading'…" I chuckled, heading out of the room. In truth, I had absolutely no idea where Akiza's room was. And there was no way that I was going to go and ask Sayer. Instead, I decided to take up Seria's standing offer and head down to the lab. She'd probably know where Akiza's room was, I thought, and be able to direct me to where it was so I wouldn't get lost. But also, I could thank Seria for saving me.

I headed into the elevator and pressed the button to head to the ground floor. Once the door opened, I walked out of the elevator and down a hallway which protruded off to where the lab was. I knocked on the door twice and waited. "Just a sec!" I heard Seria call out from behind the door. A couple seconds later the door opened. I was surprised to see that both Akiza and Seria were in the lab, finishing up a conversation. It looked like I wouldn't need to go looking for Akiza after all.

"Oh! Tyler!" Seria shouted, Akiza twitching and turning to me. "I was just about to come and see you. How are you feeling?" Seria asked me.

"A lot better, thanks to you." I smiled.

"Tyler, I'm… really sorry about yesterday." Akiza said. "I honestly didn't mean to hurt you. The last thing I'd want to do is cause any friction between myself and other members of the Movement."

"It's fine, Akiza." I assured her. "I'm just sorry I didn't put up a better fight in our Duel."

My statement seemed to make Akiza look away, as if she was thinking about something she wanted to ask me. Of course, whatever she wanted, I'd probably say yes! "That Deck you were using wasn't your own, was it?" Akiza asked.

"Um…" I looked towards Seria for guidance, because I had absolutely no idea. Seria looked over at the examination chair in the center of the room and then back to me. Something about her expression told me that she was rather uncomfortable with the way the conversation had headed.

"Tyler was given that Deck as a means of testing his abilities. It's still early days, but once we know what Tyler's skills as a Duelist are, we'll be able to tailor a Deck specifically built to his strengths." Seria explained. "By the way, shouldn't you be heading to the Outer Rim for Duel Runner training?" Seria asked.

"Well Liquid said that mine starts at noon so-"

"Maybe you should head over a little early." Seria suggested. "See how Liquid's doing?"

"If you… think I should…" I muttered. Seria nodded quickly.

"Yes! Yes! You definitely should! Right now!" she insisted.

"Well, okay… um… thanks again…" I muttered. Seria seemed like she wanted to try and get rid of me, but she did have a point. Okita was down at the Reference Room reading up about Duel Runner theory, while I could do the next best thing and head over to watch Liquid. Then at least I'd know what not to do. I said my goodbyes to both Akiza and Seria as I left the lab and then exited the Arcadia Movement Headquarters altogether.

* * *

Walking through New Domino City on my way to the Outer Rim was completely different to when Okita, Liquid and I went to gatecrash the Fortune Cup and support Akiza. For one thing, there was no one around, since the whole population of the city was practically packed into the stadium. Now though, there were many people all walking around, a great majority of them wearing fancy clothes and sporting microphones and cameras, all in a rush as if they were running late for something. I caught a couple of them glancing at me out of the corner of their eyes, probably wondering why I was wearing such strange clothing.

"Hey!" a voice called out from behind me. I turned to see this rather seedy-looking guy approach me. He was the only one around that wasn't wearing some suit and tie. Instead, this guy was wearing some mismatch of bright green and a dark brown. He also wasn't holding a microphone or a camera, like so many others were. "You haven't seen that Satellite shithead around here, have you? Apparently, he hasn't left the city yet. We're all tryin' to find him."

"Excuse me?" I asked, not knowing who the dude was on about.

"The scum-fucker from Satellite who won the Fortune Cup?!" the man sighed.

"The Fortune Cup?" I repeated, trying to recall all that had transpired that day. I remembered that somebody won, and it was someone who was familiar to me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

The man sighed once more, realizing that his conversation with me was going nowhere very quickly. "I'm sorry. You're wearing that Arcadia uniform. I just assumed you'd know the identity of the person who defeated your best Duelist." The guy ranted. "Look. If you see a guy with a Criminal Mark walking around, call Sector Security, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." I waved him off as I he ran to catch up to one of the other groups of people who were running rampant through the city. As for me, I continued on to my original route. There were no more interruptions and I picked up the pace as I caught sight of the gate to the Duel Runner track. I could hear the faint revving of a Duel Runner from behind the gate as I saw Liquid come around on the course. Even with the movement of the Duel Runner, I could tell that Liquid was shaking like crazy as he struggled to keep upright.

"You're doing fine, Liquid!" a man called out encouragement. "Just try not to take the corners too late! And if you're not feeling comfortable, you can always slow down! No pressure!" the man must've heard my footsteps, because he immediately turned to face me. "Yo! You're Tyler Nochi, right?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded.

The man laughed. "Excellent! My name's Kawasaki, and I'll be taking you through your Duel Runner training in a little bit. You nervous?"

"A little…" I admitted. "I've never been on a Duel Runner before."

"Ah! Well don't worry. These models struggle to go above thirty miles an hour. And I was just saying to Liquid, if at any time you feel uncomfortable, you can stop, it won't matter." Kawasaki smiled gently. His words eased my nerves a little, and I was happy to see that so far everyone in the Arcadia Movement was friendly. Well, everyone except Sayer, which was pretty weird.

I spent the next hour or so watching Liquid make his way around the track several times while Kawasaki and I continued to chat, mostly about my Duel with Akiza. The moment came when I saw Liquid come around again before he slowed to a stop. He got off the Duel Runner and Kawasaki opened the gate. My heart began to race.

"Nice work, Liquid." Kawasaki smiled.

"Thanks. It was harder than I thought, but I think I did alright." He said, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, hey, Tyler." Liquid greeted. "Were you watching me?" he asked.

"Yeah, you did really well."

"Thanks. Well hey, word of advice: you gotta watch out for the obstacles, or they'll really slow ya down."

"Obstacles?" I asked.

"Yep. Tar, dirt, signs, pillars."

"Alright, hold on. I don't think I'm ready for this."

"You've got to have at least tried." Kawasaki urged. "Look, I'll be coaching you through it. You'll do fine."

"Yeah, you'll do fine." Liquid added.

I sighed, trying to slow down my breathing. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

"Now that's the spirit!" Kawasaki shouted. "Alright, just head through the gate and get on the Runner. I'll direct you with what you need to do after that."

I nodded, walking through the gate and over to the Duel Runner. Liquid had left the helmet on the seat, so I hesitantly put it over my head and got on the Duel Runner. I squirmed a little on the seat as I looked at what was in front of me. I could hear Kawasaki instructing me on what to do, but I wasn't listening. I revved the Duel Runner once, before taking off onto the highway.

Whatever Kawasaki was shouting at me, I was blocking from my mind. I just let the moment draw me into it, the wind blowing past me as I heard the snaps of my uniform. Liquid wasn't kidding when he talked about obstacles either. The signs, tar and dirt I was prepared for, but near the end of the course these two pillars seemed to burst out of the ground. I swerved, dodging both with minimal effort. It was little more than pure instinct to me.

"Bring it in now, Tyler!" Kawasaki shouted. As he instructed, I slowed the Duel Runner to a stop, put it into park and took off the helmet and resting it on the seat. As I walked back through the gate, I saw that both Kawasaki and Liquid had looks of shock and amazement on their faces.

"What?" I asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"That… was… incredible!" Kawasaki shouted. "You didn't even have to go around for a second run! You dodged everything on your first lap. You've got one of the fastest times. If you can keep that up, you'll be in excellent shape, buddy!"

"Thank you, sir."

I noticed that Liquid was still staring at me, looking as if he was struggling to find words to say to me. Eventually though, he sighed and spoke.

"You were fucking awesome!" Liquid shouted. "You didn't hit the sides once or nothing! There's no way that was your first time on a Duel Runner!"

"Well, I dunno what happened. I got on and I just knew what to do." I said passively.

"Pfft! Sure, that's it! C'mon be honest… you've ridden at least once before, haven't you?"

"I swear to you, that was my first time. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'd remember riding a Duel Runner."

Liquid chuckled. "Well you know what? I had my doubts about you before, but this right here, you're just plain awesome!"

"Thanks."

"No, really. I was acting like such a jerk to you before. I'm so sorry."

"You were a jerk? I didn't notice…" I lied.

"Well, you guys are done for the day, but would you mind going and getting Okita for his Duel Runner training?" Kawasaki asked.

"Sure." Liquid and I both answered in unison.

We began our trek back to the Arcadia Movement Headquarters, which was actually a lot better since I had someone to talk to now. The streets were completely deserted now other than the two of us, or so I thought.

"Tyler? Is that you?" I heard someone call out to me. The voice sent shivers down my spine as I turned to the direction of where the voice came from and caught sight of a young man with spiky black hair with yellow highlights and a strange gold mark on the side of his face. The expression on his face was one of horror, and I was mentally kicking myself, because I knew that I had seen him before somewhere. I took a step back as the same pain that I felt at the Fortune Cup suddenly came back to me, accompanied by more visions.

I was floating above the same ruined city, which I finally recognized as the Satellite, talking to the same four people in the vision that I had at the Fortune Cup. I finally recognized two of the people: Yusei Fudo and Jack Atlas. Among them were a white-haired, dull-eyed young man and a short, spiky orange-haired guy. They… We… were talking about Duel Runners and-

"Tyler! It's me, Yusei!" he shouted, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Tyler, you don't look so hot. Are you okay? Do you know this guy?" Liquid asked, concerned. I was breathing shakily. Was I having some sort of mental breakdown?

"My head…" I croaked.

"Well, well… If it isn't Yusei Fudo…" I heard a voice mutter. Yusei, Liquid and I turned and saw Sayer walking towards us. "How about you stay out of my business?!" Sayer said hoarsely. "Somebody take him back to headquarters!" Sayer shouted.

Liquid looked at me, then Sayer, then Yusei and then back at me. "Yes, sir." Liquid said, walking over to me. He could tell that I was in no state to move.

"Tyler! Are you okay?!" I heard Yusei call out to me.

I watched, half-dazed, as Sayer approached Yusei. "This doesn't concern you. Leave at once!" Sayer cringed.

"C'mon, let's go." Liquid said as he began walking. I was fighting back the urge to vomit, and I didn't even know why. All of a sudden, Liquid draped one of my arms over his shoulder and we began making tiny, baby steps back to my room. My mind was racing a mile a minute.

I never did make it back to my room though. Sayer caught up with Liquid and I and he insisted that I come with him to the lab. I didn't know what to say or what to do, but Seria was there and told me that it was for good of my health, and then told Liquid with getting Okita to head to the Outer Rim.

As we walked to the lab, Seria clenched one of her hands around me as the same uneasy expression she had when we were talking to Akiza crossed her face again. My legs gave in and I collapsed just outside the lab as Seria carried me in. I was placed back in the same examination chair that I remembered waking up in when I first met Seria and Sayer. Lights and noises were coming out of the various machines that surrounded me. I tried listening in on their conversation, but I could barely make out what they were saying.

"I'm seeing a decrease in the level of consciousness, sir. At this rate, Ty… I-I mean, the subject will pass out on us." Seria said with a concerned tone. I felt a little uneasy as Seria went back to referring to me as 'the subject' rather than my name.

"So the brainwashing is wearing off?" Sayer asked bluntly. Brainwashing? What brainwashing?

"That's right, sir. It appears the subject experienced a great shock related to a past event." Seria said.

"Yusei Fudo…! That _bastard_! Time and time again, he keeps getting in my way!" Sayer growled, before my eyelids forced themselves shut. "If he gets any closer to this one, it could spell big trouble for us." Sayer sighed. "Let's strengthen the brainwashing so this one can better resist these pests from the past."

"But Sayer! The subject's brainwaves aren't stable. If we push him too far, he could die!" Seria shakily said, obviously concerned for my safety. I would've said 'thank you', I _should_ have said 'thank you', but my mouth refused to open. I groaned, a feeling of despair rippling through my body.

"I see…" Sayer muttered. "We can't afford to lose such an important aspect. Especially after what happened with the last one… Preserving the subject's life takes top priority." Sayer instructed.

"Yes, sir…" Seria mumbled.

"He won't regain his memories, but we'll have to conduct more brainwashing again later…" I heard Sayer speak, and even though I knew he was standing over me, it was as if his voice was so far away. "We're… more power… subject… … …" Sayer's voice disappeared completely, and I was left alone, trapped in my mind, flooded with questions barely able to comprehend anything.

Sayer… stole my memories? Then he… what else did he do to me? Why did he do this to me? Where did I come from?

And just who… who was I?


	5. Sense of Purpose

"Would somebody… _please_ help me!" a voice echoed. "I'm being held prisoner in the Spirit World. Somebody… _please_ _listen_ _to_ _me_!" the voice repeated. It was that same girl's voice that I'd heard once or twice before, but this time it was coming from all around me, repeating in my head.

All of a sudden, the voice faded away, and the sound of rustling leaves and the feeling of cool breeze replaced it. I opened my eyes slowly as the light from the sun broke through my eyelids, causing my eyes to water.

I turned away quickly, rubbing my eyes with hands while I waited for them to adjust. When my vision returned, I found that I was standing in a forest. But not just that. It was the same forest that I remembered being lost in several days ago.

I looked around to see if I could find someone else, being reminded of that little girl's desperate cries for help, but I seemed to be the only one in the forest. And all I had with me were the clothes I was wearing – my Arcadia Movement uniform.

_So the brainwashing is wearing off_?

_He won't regain his memories_ , _but we'll have to conduct more brainwashing again later_ …

As I recalled the words that Sayer had said, I found myself clenching my fists. That _damn_ Sayer, I thought. He was using me for _something_ , and I didn't even know what it _was_!

I sighed, shaking my head. I couldn't waste any time standing around. I knew I'd have to get out of this forest, find my way back to the Arcadia Movement, and then get my revenge on Sayer for brainwashing me.

Of course, that was easier said than done, considering that everything in the forest looked the same, and I didn't feel as if I was heading anywhere in particular. That is until my eyes stumbled upon a familiar clearing.

I was immediately drawn to it, and I realized it was the same clearing where I'd seen that girl. I picked up the pace until I made my way through the clearing, eventually reaching a stone gate. Maybe, I thought, whoever was in there would be able to tell me where I was and how I could get to where I wanted to be. So, ignoring all other thoughts, I walked in.

On the opposite side of the gate was a medieval-style town which seemed to go on for no end. I sighed deeply and was about to call out for someone's assistance when a little boy, probably no older than eight years old, popped his head out from behind the side of a house. "Hey! Over here! Hide over here!" the young boy shouted presumably at me. I then looked up and noticed two creatures at the top of a stairway. They had brown fur, large circular ears – they basically looked like giant monkeys – and both had on some chain mail, a helmet and carried a sword. One of them, I assume, coming down after hearing the shouting from the young boy. The boy motioned for me to head over to where he was and hide with him, so, trusting that it wasn't a trap, I ran to where the young boy was and hid with him, the two of us staying silent until the monkey had left.

It was then that I got a better look at the boy. He did look around eight years old, but I was more focused on what he was wearing. He was dressed in a purple cloth which had been covered with what looked like a purple kind of armor. He had a little pointy hat on the top of his head, which was also colored purple, and he carried a dark blue staff. He looked just like… the Dark Magician…?

"Phew! That was a close call! They almost found us!" the boy cried.

"Yeah," I sighed, "who _were_ those…" I paused, struggling to find the right word, "things?"

"They're the soldiers of Zeman the Ape King."

I put my hands out in front of me and shut my eyes. "Okay, okay, okay." I breathed, "Who's Zeman the Ape King, and who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Torunka!" he smiled. "What are you?" he asked with a grin.

"I'm a _human_." I said, unsure of whether or not it was a serious question. Regardless, I gave Torunka a serious answer.

"Hmm… a human huh?" Torunka pondered, "You must be real special then. If you're here, it means you were chosen."

"Chosen?" I asked, confused. "Chosen for what?! What's going on?!" I said angrily, thinking this kid might've been in league with Sayer, and that I was chosen for some sort of experiment.

"Whoa! Alright, calm down! I'll explain everything!" Torunka began. "As I said, those goons back there belong to Zeman the Ape King. He controls this land. Zeman has been capturing many spirits and enslaving them to work for him." Torunka explained, "I managed to escape, but Zeman turned me into a child. I _really_ am a handsome and accomplished spellcaster! Though I know it doesn't seem so anymore…" he trailed off.

"Right, okay…" I said with a slight smile on my face. There was no way this kid could've been working with Sayer, I thought. This whole thing seemed like something else entirely. Everything the kid had said seemed crazy, but then again, it did make for a good story.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Torunka asked coldly.

"Not really, mate, but it's a good story."

"Open your eyes!" Torunka yelled. "Just take a look at this hollow shell of a town. The proof's right there!" Torunka let out an exasperated sigh. "Kids these days! They've got _no_ respect for their elders! Alright, look, I'll prove it to you. Look at some of my magic." Torunka waved his staff around, before I was blanketed with a white light. When the light faded, I saw my Deck and Duel Disk attached back to my left arm. "Here… perhaps you could use a little something like this now?" Torunka said cheekily.

"My Deck?!" I shouted, "How'd you _do_ that?!"

"So _now_ do you believe me?" Torunka asked, at which I quickly nodded. "The only thing is, the cards I just called forth can only be used in this world. If you don't have them all in your world, then you'll have to go find them yourself."

"Wait a second… what do you mean 'my world'?" I asked.

Torunka blinked several times before a sheepish grin covered his face. "Oh, sorry. That should have been the first thing I told you. You're in the Duel Monsters Spirit World."

"Duel Monsters Spirit World?" I asked.

Torunka nodded. "That's right. This is a place where Duel Spirits live in harmony with each other… or at least they're supposed to. Zeman showed up here with his followers one day and things haven't been quite right ever since. Anyway, humans don't usually get to come here, so you should feel privileged that you were chosen." Torunka straightened his back as he stood up. "So, on that note, let's get going!"

"Get going?! _Where_?" I asked, becoming irritated that Torunka, for whatever reason, seemed to be keeping me in the dark.

"What do you mean 'where'?" Torunka asked as though I was stupid, even though this was the first I'd heard about any Spirit World or anything. "Why to Zeman's Castle, of course! Oh? Now that I think of it, maybe I never mentioned that… Didn't I ask you for a favor a while back?" Torunka asked.

"No," I replied with little emotion, "you just asked me to hide with you."

"Oh, really? I guess it just slipped my mind. It's no fun getting old, I tell you!" Torunka ranted. "Looks like I'll have to explain…" Torunka cleared his throat. "Please help me rescue Luna. Um… that's all…" Torunka wavered.

"Who's Luna?" I asked.

Torunka sighed. "Young people today have _so_ _many_ _questions_!"

"Well maybe it would help if you explained what the Hell was going on right from the beginning instead of making me ask all these questions!" I vented. After realizing how I'd spoken, I sighed. "I'm sorry," I apologized, "this is all just a little too much for me. I'm sorry, please, go on…"

Torunka swallowed audibly, obviously a little off-put by my outburst. "Very well. There is one other human in this world besides you, and that human holds the key to releasing the Ancient Fairy Dragon sealed away by Zeman. She's actually a child named Luna. She was the one who allowed me to escape, but she got captured by Zeman's goons. I really want to go and rescue her to repay my debt. Of course, I want to help the Spirit World too. I want to save them _both_. Problem is… I don't think I can rescue her by myself, so I need you to help me. Please, will you help me?" Torunka pleaded.

I licked my lips, going over what Torunka had just told me in my head. The child – Luna, the only other human in the Spirit World… her voice _had_ to be the one I'd been hearing. And if that was the case, and she was indeed captured by this Zeman, then as the only other human in the Spirit World, as the only other person capable of saving her, I had to at least try. After all, Seria didn't have to help me when I was injured, but she did so anyway out of the kindness of her heart. I had to at least try and do the same. "Yes. Yes, of course I'll help." I told Torunka.

"You will? Oh, I just _knew_ there was something special about you. Let's go!" Torunka cheered, grabbing my wrist with his free hand, "Luna's being held in Zeman's Castle. It's just north of the town. Don't worry, I know the way!" Torunka smiled, holding my wrist tighter as the two of us set off.

* * *

It didn't take long for me to lose what little sense of direction I had traversing through the town. To be fair, I didn't really _need_ a sense of direction since I was just following Torunka, but to be _fairer_ , it didn't seem like Torunka really knew where he was going. We walked up and down the empty paths and streets of the town (which Torunka told me was called Schwank – not that I needed to know) several times before we made our way out.

Once we did, I noticed our surroundings had gotten almost immediately darker, more rotten and broken. "Don't worry… we're… so close now…" Torunka panted.

Sure enough, up through the clearing I could see a massive castle. It was unlike anything I had ever seen in my whole life. Torunka stopped walking, but I continued until he pulled on my wrist. "What is it…?" I whispered.

"Look!" Torunka pointed to the front gate. One of Zeman's soldiers was standing out the front, gripping his sword tightly. "The entrance is blocked. We need to cause a distraction." Torunka whispered back.

"What would you suggest?" I asked.

Torunka just smiled and waved his staff in the direction of the guard. I looked on to see the guard's helmet and sword fly off in opposite directions as he ran off to go pick them up.

"Not what I was expecting…" I muttered as we reached the front gate unopposed.

"Luna is somewhere inside, I'm sure of it! Let's split up and start looking for her!" Torunka suggested.

"I don't even know what she looks like…" I murmured.

"She's the only other human in this world, you can't miss her." Torunka laughed. "But just in case, she's eleven years old, a little taller than me, and she's got green hair."

"Right, okay." I nodded, feeling a little bit foolish. "But what about you? Will you be okay?" I asked.

"Don't worry about me, I'm tougher than I look. I'm really a distinguished spellcaster, see?" he smiled. "Oh, here! I want you to have this." Torunka said before giving me his staff.

"Wh-why are you giving me this?" I asked.

"With this child-like body, I'm not as good as casting spells as I would be. I figured you'd have a better shot than I would." Torunka grinned.

"But I don't even know how this thing works." I said, looking the staff over.

"Don't worry. I've imbued some of my magic into it. It'll do exactly what you need it so, so don't worry. Now let's start our search!" Torunka said dramatically. I expected him to move off, but he didn't. He just looked at me for a few seconds. "Um… by the way… what do they call you anyway?" Torunka asked sheepishly.

"My name's Tyler." I said.

"Tyler, you say? That's an interesting name. Well on that note," Torunka cleared his throat again. "Brave adventurer, Tyler! Let us begin our search!"

* * *

It had been at least an hour since Torunka and I split up to go find Luna. Amongst hiding from the guards and the patrols, I couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship of the castle. Although it was old, it still seemed to be in very good condition. I decided on clipping Torunka's staff to my Arcadia Uniform to prevent it from getting in the way, in case I had to use my hands for something.

"The last door…" I muttered. Torunka had gone off to cover the left side of the castle, and had left me to check the right. I had gone through all other doors finding them empty or cluttered with guards, who I ended up knocking unconscious with Torunka's staff.

This door, like all the others, was locked, so I pulled out Torunka's staff and simply pointed it at the lock. The dark purple orb at the top of the staff began to glow as did the lock on the door. I heard a click, and the lock dropped to the floor. I turned the now-unlocked doorknob and opened the door with minimal effort. I looked in and saw a girl standing far from the door. She wore a red shirt, with a pink jacket and purple shorts. Her green hair was parted and tied up at the sides of her head into two pigtails. She seemed to match Torunka's description.

"Uh, h-hello?" I called to the girl. Instantly, she turned to look at me. I could tell by her expression that she was expecting one of Zeman's guards and at the very least was relieved to see that it wasn't. "Is your name Luna?" I asked softly.

"Yes! You're human right?! Are you here to rescue me by any chance?!" the girl asked.

"Uh…" I stammered, "I think so. Torunka sent me and-"

"Then my words reached you! Thank you so much!" she smiled. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Tyler." I said.

"Well thanks a lot, Tyler!" Luna said. "You said you were with Torunka… Do you know if he's okay?" Luna asked.

I shook my head. "We split up to find you. He's covering the left side of the castle right now. We didn't organize to meet up anywhere when we found you, and-"

"Hey! Get your greasy paws off me! Don't you know who I am?" both Luna and I turned to the door where we heard Torunka yell.

"Sounds like he was alright until a few moments ago…" Luna muttered.

A guard came in, holding a struggling Torunka. "How did you get in?" he asked.

"Tyler!" Torunka shouted, relieved.

The guard pushed Torunka at Luna, causing them both to topple over, before the guard drew his sword and charged at me. I was able to parry most of his strikes with the staff, but not being used to such an irregular weapon (or really any weapon at all) certainly put me at a disadvantage. It was rather unfortunate that Torunka had only given me the power to unlock doors with his staff and not make the heads of the soldiers explode or something.

"Tyler!" Luna and Torunka shouted in unison as they got to their feet.

The guard knocked the staff out of my grip as he cut into my hand with his sword. I screamed out in pain before using my Duel Disk to knock the sword away. Torunka grabbed his staff. "Eat this!" he yelled as he waved the staff at the guard, causing him to be thrown back against the wall, unconscious. If only Torunka could've made it so that I could do that, it would've made things so much easier for me.

"Tyler! Are you okay?" Luna asked.

"I-I'm fine…" I stammered, blood dripping from my hand.

"L-look, we should get out of here before more guards come!" Torunka suggested.

"Yeah, there are some things that I wanna talk about, but we should get out of here first." Luna agreed.

"Okay, let's stick together!" Torunka yelled as Luna and I followed him out of the room.

* * *

The three of us dropped to our knees in the Schwank Town Square, panting like crazy from all the running around we had to do to get out of that damn castle. Torunka had taken the lead to get us out, but we kept running into guards, which I was able to outrun with ease, while Luna and Torunka had a little bit of trouble of keeping up.

"Phew! Looks like we _somehow_ made our way out of there!" Torunka panted.

"Yeah, no thanks to you…" Luna sighed. "Following _you_ was the biggest mistake of my life!"

"What? What are you talking about? Didn't you see how perfectly my plan went? Getting captured on purpose and being taken to you so we could escape together… Isn't that just the best idea?" Torunka asked.

"What are you talking about? You were screaming for help back there!" Luna puffed her cheeks in protest. "The truth is, without you Tyler, we would've never escaped. Thanks Tyler." Luna smiled at me.

"No problem." I smiled back before eying the dry blood on my hand from the cut.

"Your hand…" Luna muttered. "Torunka, can't you heal Tyler's hand or something?"

"I wish I could, but with this small body…" Torunka trailed off.

"It's just a small cut, don't worry about it…" I mumbled. I looked around, silently observing the town. If Zeman's Castle was to the north, where we'd just come from, and I entered Schwank from the south, then that meant that the way out of town would either be east or west. Of course, even if I made it out of the town, there was no guarantee I'd make it out of the Spirit World. At least if I understood what Torunka had said before, this was a separate world to the Human World. I sighed.

"Tyler?" Luna asked, myself turning to her.

"Yeah?"

"I'm, um… I'm supposed to go meet up with someone named Regulus in the Forest of Pojar… Would you mind coming along?" Luna asked.

"Not at all." I assured her. "I'd be glad to accompany you." There was no way I was gonna turn her down and leave a little girl to wander around a forest alone, especially with Zeman's soldiers probably trying to track us down and recapture Luna. The least I could do was keep her safe for the moment and stop her from getting captured again.

"Thank you!" Luna beamed, her smile infectious. "Let's get going right away."

"Well if you're coming with us, Tyler, then we've got nothing to worry about!" Torunka assured.

"Wait ' _we_ '? You're coming too?" asked Luna, surprised.

"Of course! After all, I know this place like the back of my hand. I'll get us to the Forest of Pojar in no time!" Torunka grinned.

"Well if your sense of direction is anything like it was trying to get out of Zeman's Castle, maybe we'd be better off wearing blindfolds." I joked, mostly to try and keep Luna's spirits high, but it was also kind of true. Nevertheless, Luna giggled at my joke and the three of us set off through the east of Schwank towards the Forest of Pojar.

* * *

Much like before, Torunka insisted he lead Luna and I through the forest, but this time I didn't find myself getting irritated if we made a wrong turn. I instead focused more on what had been going on in the Human World. All I knew for sure about myself was my name, and the fact that Sayer brainwashed me and erased my memories.

_Tyler_! _It's me, Yusei_!

Yusei…

That name did seem very familiar to me. And what's more, he knew _my_ name _and_ I saw him with some others in those visions at the Fortune Cup. There had to be some sort of connection between us. But what if it was all just an elaborate trick by Sayer? And what the Hell did Sayer even _want_ with me? And what about Seria, Akiza, Okita and Liquid? What was their part in this? Were they in the same boat as me? Was _everyone_ at the Arcadia Movement just a pawn in Sayer's game? Or was I the only one?

I had so many questions, and no way of getting any answers, at least for the moment.

The roar of a lion ripped me from my thoughts as I realized that Luna, Torunka and I were now in the center of the Forest of Pojar and facing a white lion with a mane of orange fur, a look of great abhor on his face.

"Regulus…?" Torunka asked softly.

" _You're_ Regulus? Then please listen to me! I made a promise to the Ancient Fairy Dragon that I would protect this world. That's why I came here!" Luna shouted.

Regulus turned his head sideways, but the look of anger did not disappear from his face.

"It's true! This girl came from the Human World to rescue the Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Torunka clarified. His words seemed to have no effect on Regulus. In fact, Regulus started growling and slowly advancing on us. I doubted very much that Regulus could even understand what Luna and Torunka were saying.

"Enough of your lies! You're only looking to use the Ancient Fairy Dragon for evil!" he hissed.

"Y-You can talk?!" I asked, nearly choking in surprise.

"We really aren't, Regulus…" Luna muttered.

"Liar! You seek to taint the will of the Ancient Fairy Dragon. I will not let you!" Regulus roared once more, lunging at Luna. Thinking quickly, I pushed Luna out of the way as Regulus attempted to pounce on her, trapping me beneath his paws instead. "Prepare to die, vile human!" Regulus yelled, raising one of his paws and extending the claws.

There was nothing I could do, so I clenched my eyes tightly shut and waited for it all to be over, until I felt Regulus climb off of me.

I looked over at Luna, who still appeared to half-dazed, and then over at Torunka, who I discovered had fired a shot at Regulus's shoulder to get him off of me, and was now being chased around by Regulus, trying to calm him down.

I ran over to Luna and shook her shoulder lightly. "Luna? Are you alright?" I asked.

Luna groaned slightly. "Tyler…?" she asked.

I helped Luna to her feet. "I am _so_ sorry, sweetie." I apologized. "I didn't mean to be as rough with you as I was, but Regulus was gonna crush you. Are you alright?"

Luna nodded. "I-I think so…" she muttered. "Wait, wh-what about Torunka?!"

I turned quickly to see Torunka backed up against a tree, using his staff to fight off Regulus. "D-don't make me use th-this…" Torunka stuttered.

"Tyler! Look!" Luna pointed at one of Regulus's legs, which had a sharp object lodged into it. "Regulus is being affected by the Minus Staff!"

"Minus Staff?" I asked, "What's that?"

"They're used to reverse natural and unnatural phenomena in the Spirit World. If Regulus has been struck by one, he must not be seeing sense." Luna said worriedly.

"Then how do we make him _see_ sense?" I asked.

"The Minus Staff will have to come out…" Luna explained. My expression hardened. There was only one way I could see that happening. So in that moment, I decided just to charge at Regulus and pull out the Minus Staff. Thankfully, he was too distracted by Torunka to hear me approach him, so I was able to unlodge the Minus Staff in Regulus's back leg. But in reflex, he reared up and kicked my chest with that same leg, sending me into the air before abruptly crashing down.

"Tyler!" Luna yelled as she ran to my side. "Are you okay?! Say something! _Please_!"

"I'm fine!" I breathed. "I'm fine, I think…"

Luna sighed with relief as, for the most part, I was okay.

"Ugh! What happened…?" I heard Regulus mutter. I got to my feet and saw that Regulus had a displeased look on his face.

"You…! The young Signer girl," Regulus said, turning to Luna. "I have been waiting for you to come to this world." Signer?

"Regulus! You've regained your senses!" Luna smiled.

"And you…" Regulus said, turning to me. "You who has a special bond with the Ancient Fairy Dragon. I thank you for guiding this young girl to me." Regulus bowed his head. "I'm sorry for attacking you earlier…"

"No problem, Regulus!" I bowed in return.

"We can give 'I'm sorry' speeches later. Right now we've got to go and rescue Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Torunka yelled.

Suddenly, Luna gasped.

"Luna? Is something wrong?" I asked, taken aback by how frightened she seemed.

"I feel the danger closing in, in the Human World…" Luna murmured.

"Danger? What do you mean?"

"I can't explain it…!" Luna squirmed, "It's just… I can feel a dangerous presence looming…"

"In that case, you should escape from the dangers in your world first. Torunka and I should be able to protect this world until you return." Regulus explained.

"Thank you so much! Please do all you can to save the Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna said.

"Wait, before you go…" Torunka said, reaching out and placing his staff in my hand. "This might come in handy for whatever dangers you face in your world." Torunka grinned. "I've used up the rest of my power so that you can use this staff as an offensive weapon. You just have to be careful with it, alright?"

I simply smiled at him. "I will, and thank you." The only person who was gonna be in danger was Sayer.

"Tyler, I can help you get home…" Luna said. "Hold my hands and close your eyes." I clipped the staff to my Arcadia uniform and held Luna's hands in mine. I was taken aback by how smooth they were. "Those clothes… are you at the Arcadia Movement…?" Luna muttered.

"Yeah, how did you-"

"My brother and I are there too. Can you come and rescue us?" Luna asked.

"Of course." I said before I felt all of my senses fade away.


	6. The Great Escape

I gasped as my eyes shot wide open, lifting myself off of the soft surface I'd found myself on.

For a moment, I wondered if it had all just been a dream.

I looked around and noticed I was in a holding cell. No windows, no clocks, and there was only one door. I assumed that Sayer had me locked up here after being unable to brainwash me again. I was sweating like crazy, but my body felt fine, almost as if the injuries I'd sustained in the Spirit World had never happened. I walked over to the door and tried prying it off, but it wouldn't budge. "Damn it!" I yelled, slamming my fist against the door.

My breathing picked up. At my feet were my Duel Disk and Deck, which I found strange. Sayer wouldn't have let me keep my Duel Disk and Deck if he viewed me as a threat or anything, or if he knew the procedure had failed. This meant that someone else must have come in and left them here for me.

It was then that I saw it: Torunka's Staff. It _wasn't_ just a dream, I really _did_ go to the Spirit World, which also meant that me meeting up with that girl, Luna, happened as well. Without hesitation, I picked up the staff and pointed it at the door. The orb lit up, a ball of light appearing around it, before it shot forward and blew the door open, creating a small explosion.

"That was _awesome_ …" I muttered. I was definitely gonna give Sayer a piece of my mind with this. I had to get back to the task at hand though. I promised Luna that I'd come and rescue her and her brother. After strapping on my Duel Disk, I poked my head outside and I noticed that every room on this floor seemed to be locked from the outside, as if this entire part of the building was a prison. How this wasn't brought up by anyone at the Arcadia Movement was a mystery to me, but maybe not that many people knew about it besides Sayer.

That wasn't important though. Luna had to be in one of these cells, and I had to get her out.

Just as I began to move, a sudden noise brought me to a standstill. "Hey! You there!" I heard a girl shout. It couldn't have been Luna. This girl sounded older, more mature. I looked to the direction of the noise, a cell and noticed that this was pounding on the cell's door. "You were in the room next to me right? I just heard your door open." I remembered where I had seen this girl before. She was that reporter who I bumped into at the Fortune Cup. Carly, I think her name was. "Well, however you did it, can you get me out too? Pretty _please_?" Carly asked.

I nodded. "Stand back." I ordered. Carly retreated to the back of the cell as I took aim with the staff and blasted the door open. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yup! I owe you one! Thanks!" Carly smiled. "Huh? I've got this funny feeling I've seen you before…" Carly muttered. "I've got it!" she said, snapping her fingers. "You were at the Fortune Cup!" she grinned, obviously very proud of herself for remembering. "But why would the Arcadia Movement throw one of their own Duelists into a cell?" she asked herself out loud. Carly shook her head. "That doesn't matter right now. I've still got to find out how Goodwin is linked to the Arcadia Movement. Thanks a million!" Carly said, running off before I could convince her to stay with me.

"Weird chick…" I muttered.

* * *

I cleared another block of cells, and Luna wasn't in any of them, but there was another block up ahead. I heard footsteps, so I hid behind one of the bronze statues that decorated the hallways of the Arcadia Movement and poked my head out to see who it was.

Liquid.

There he was. But his eyes… they were different. As if he had no soul. He definitely wasn't like that before! Sayer must've gotten his hands on him! Now I had another reason to get even with Sayer!

I waited until Liquid had left, not wanting to risk revealing myself, before I made my way over to the next batch of cells, and the elevator.

"Tyler? Is that you?" I heard a voice ask.

_Luna_!

I turned around and saw her look out at me from the confines of her cell. "It's me, Luna. I'm so glad you came! Thank you so much!" The poor girl sounded so relieved to see me, and I had to admit I was glad to see her too. With the way that Liquid had seemed to be, I would have never forgiven myself if I had have let Luna get like that.

"No problem." I smiled. "Stand back! I don't want you to get hurt." I ordered. Luna nodded and just as Carly had done, went to the back of the cell as I aimed the staff squarely at the door and blew it off. When the smoke cleared, I saw that Luna had used her arms to shield herself from whatever debris would've afflicted her. I walked up to her. "You okay?" I asked, offering my hand to help her up, which she took.

"I am… thank you…" Luna smiled. "This… this is our first time meeting in the Human World isn't it?" Luna asked. I nodded and she laughed. "First you save me in the Spirit World, and now in the Human World too. It's starting to look like you're becoming my personal bodyguard…" she muttered, looking down.

I hooked Torunka's Staff back to my uniform and put my hands on Luna's shoulders, kneeling down to look at her face to face. "How long have you been held here?" I asked softly.

"Um…" Luna mumbled, "a while…"

"I heard you calling out to me several times. If I had have known you were here…" I trailed. My eyes widened and I pulled Luna into a hug. She was at the Arcadia Movement the whole time and I did _nothing_ to help her. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, leaning closer to her. "Listen. I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

"Luna!" I heard someone shout behind me. I stood up and turned around to face two people. One was a rather muscular man with spiky green hair. The other was an older man with shaggy grey hair.

"How'd you guys find me?" Luna asked.

"We saw the explosions." the old man said. I realized too late that my overindulgence in the use of Torunka's Staff could have possibly, and still might, draw unwanted attention to Luna and me. I sincerely hoped that that wasn't the case.

"Who's this?" the muscular man said, pointing to me.

"He's Tyler. He helped me in the Spirit World, he's the one who unlocked my cell." Luna clarified.

"Unlocked your cell? But he's wearing the uniform, it could be a trap. He might be working for Sayer." the muscular man said.

"No. No way." I told him. "Sayer tried to brainwash me into his cult of lunatics." I said coldly. "He took away my memories and left me with a false hope. And I'm not letting _anyone_ else fall victim to him." I affirmed, resting my arm along the clear wall of Luna's cell, quickly realizing that it was actually a glass pane I was resting on. I looked through the glass and saw a young boy, probably about the same age as Luna, lying unconscious on the floor. He had green hair just like Luna, though his was tied up into one ponytail at the back. Even his _outfit_ was like Luna's, except for the fact it was a different color. "Luna? Is that-"

"Leo!" the muscular man said. He looked around for a split second and grabbed the chair nearest to the glass. "All right, stand back you three." The man held the chair high above his head as I walked back from the glass and watched as he swung the chair at the glass. It shattered instantly. The muscular man walked through where he broke the glass and shook the kid, Leo's, shoulders. "Leo! Leo!"

Leo groaned. "Huh? Wh… what?" he asked.

"How do you feel? Are you hurt? What happened?" the muscular man asked as he helped Leo to his feet.

"I Dueled Sayer…" Leo muttered. "I got schooled…" Leo said somberly. My fists clenched. Leo's eyes widened. "Where's Luna? Is she okay?" Leo panicked.

"I'm right in front of you!" Luna sighed.

"There you are! I'm so glad you're safe." Leo hugged Luna tightly.

"It's not like I'm helpless without you, you know." Luna sighed again.

Leo broke the hug. "So, uh… who's this with you?" Leo asked, looking to me. "Isn't that the same uniform that they're _all_ wearing here?"

"Oh, this is Tyler. He's a friend who kept me safe while I was in the Spirit World." Luna smiled.

"You went to the Spirit World?" Leo asked.

Luna nodded. "After we got captured by Sayer, I went to see Regulus, but I got captured by Zeman. Luckily, Tyler saved me. I felt something awful happening in this world, so I came back."

Leo turned to me. "And you can go there too, huh? Wow, that's awesome! I wish I could. Anyway, thanks a lot for saving Luna, Tyler."

"No problem." I smiled. Luna groaned a little, and she rolled one of her sleeves up. It was at that point I noticed Luna's arm, and the large crimson birthmark on it, which looked like it was _throbbing_. "Oh my gosh, Luna! Your arm! Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine… it's a long story…" Luna sighed, rubbing it with her free hand.

"Luna's a Signer! Pretty cool huh?" Leo grinned.

I glanced away briefly, remembering I'd heard Regulus call Luna the exact same thing in the Spirit World.

_The young Signer girl…_

"Yusei!" Luna shouted.

Everyone, including myself, turned to the doorway and that same spiky-haired young man who made frequent appearances in my visions was standing right there. My breathing elevated and a sharp pain ripped through my head, though not as much as it did during our first meeting. I was able to keep myself calm as I reminded myself that my stress was probably just an after-effect caused by whatever Sayer had done to me, and that I was in control of myself now, not him.

Never again him.

"Luna! Leo! Are you two alright?" Yusei asked. As soon as his eyes met mine, his eyes widened. "Tyler?! You're okay! You had everyone worried when you disappeared like that!" Yusei said.

I just looked at him, puzzled. I had this rising urge to just break down in front of him. I had no way to describe how it felt to not know the person in front of me, and I had no idea what to say to him regarding my situation. It just killed me inside. "Yusei… How do you remember me?" I asked. I probably could've phrased my question better, but I asked what I needed to, and that probably helped him understand where I was coming from. Probably not.

Yusei's expression softened. "Tyler… what happened to you?" he asked.

"I don't know. All I know for sure is that… Sayer wiped away most of my memories and brainwashed me." I told him.

"You were brainwashed?" Yusei asked.

"Really!? But even so… how come?" Leo asked.

"I get it!" Luna shouted, causing all of us to turn to her. "Tyler, like me, has a connection to the Spirit World. That's probably why they were after him and were keeping me hostage and trying to figure out if Leo had similar powers to me. And I could've been brainwashed…" Luna lowered her head once more.

"I won't let that happen to you. I promise." I told her, turning to Yusei. "I don't think I'm brainwashed anymore, but… I don't really remember anything other than the past few days." I shook my head. "Anyway, that's not important right now. We can't stay here." I looked at the group amassed in Leo's cell. "It's gonna be difficult getting all of us out, but I think if we work together, we'll be alright."

Luna nodded quickly before darting her eyes quickly back and forward between Yusei and I. "By the way, Yusei. You and Tyler know each other?" Luna asked.

Yusei nodded. "We're old friends from the Satellite."

My heart skipped a beat. Hearing Luna before and Yusei now call me their friend, especially in spite of Yusei knowing that I didn't really remember him, brought a smile to my face, even though we were faced with our present predicament.

"How do you know Tyler, Luna?" Yusei asked.

"Tyler rescued me from the Spirit World." Luna said.

"You don't say…" Yusei muttered, turning to me, "I never knew you had _that_ kind of power." Yusei smiled. "We sure have a lot to talk about, but before all of that, we should probably get out of here."

"Yeah." I agreed.

" _Finally_!" the old man said, before grabbing Leo's wrist and heading out of the room, the muscular man in pursuit.

"I came here to help Akiza, but now is obviously not the time. Here." Yusei reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards and placing them gently in my hands. "When I saw you with the uniform on, and that strange look in your eyes, I knew something was up."

"What are these?" I asked, confused.

"That's your Deck. We found it the day you disappeared. I've been keeping it for you." Yusei stood opposite me, silent for a while. "Maybe it'll help you recover your memories." Yusei smiled.

"Th-thanks, Yusei…" I muttered.

"Look, I'll go and make sure that Leo, Tenzen and Bolt get out safely. Tyler, you should get Luna to safety." Yusei said, at which I nodded.

"You don't need to tell _me_ that." I said, looking down at Luna. Yusei glanced at me one last time before running out of the room, leaving only Luna and me.

"We'd better get going too. C'mon, Tyler!" Luna hyped before we both headed out the door.

"Well, well… What do we have here?" I turned around and saw him. That auburn-haired man who had caused me so much pain and suffering, so much doubt. Sayer. "I heard someone was snooping around. I didn't expect you both to get out."

I pulled Luna back behind me. "Stay away from her, Sayer. I'm warning you. If you touch her-"

"It's not just _her_ that I'm after, Tyler. It's you as well." Sayer smiled, causing my eyes to widen. Sayer began walking closer towards us. "You two hold the keys to the Spirit World. There is no way I'd let you slip through my fingers!"

I felt myself breathing rather heavily, unhooking Torunka's Staff from my uniform and pointing it at Sayer. "Stay away." I told him.

Sayer's eyes piqued with interest, almost as though he knew about the staff I was holding. "It doesn't have to be like this, Tyler. If you just submit Luna and yourself to me-"

"I don't want anything to do with you, you sick, _twisted_ man!" I snapped, "And I'll be _damned_ if I let anything happen to Luna. So, unless you want to get blown up," I threatened, "you're gonna turn around and-"

"I don't think you're in _any_ position to be making threats, _boy_." Sayer cut me off. "After all, I'm assuming you'd like your memories back at some point, correct? You won't be able to get them back if you kill me."

"I don't care. No matter what, I'm not letting you hurt Luna."

"I see…" Sayer mulled, "do you feel that way about all your friends? It might surprise you to know that not everyone feels that way about you."

"What the Hell do you mean by that?" I asked.

Sayer stepped aside, and my eyes widened as I saw Liquid and Okita approaching Luna and me. "You could have made this so much easier on yourselves, but I'll let _these_ two deal with you now." Sayer said.

"Yes, Sayer…" Liquid and Okita said in unison as they walked towards Luna and me. "All will be as you desire…" they said without any kind of emotion in their voices.

I could hardly bear to look at the two of them. It was like they were completely different people. "What the Hell have you done to them?!" I snapped.

"I treated them both to some _very_ intense brainwashing." Sayer explained.

"Guys! Snap out of it!" I shouted, attempting to get through to Liquid and Okita.

Sayer laughed. "You _fool_! These two no longer have minds of their own. Their full Psychic powers have been unleashed, and I've given them new Decks to deal with the likes of you."

"You monster!" I yelled. "They're human beings! You can't treat people like this!" I shouted.

"Who's going to stop me? _You_? Don't make me laugh." Sayer scoffed. "But don't worry. Once you've both been beaten down, I'll subject you to the same brainwashing treatment. Soon enough, you will also be under my command. You _and_ Luna…" Sayer's facial expression darkened as he walked off.

"Anyone who opposes Sayer must be destroyed," Liquid and Okita said. "Prepare to Duel!" both powered on their Duel Disks.

"Looks like we have no choice. Do you think they'll snap out of it if we win?" Luna asked.

"I'm really not sure…" I muttered as I hooked Torunka's Staff back to my uniform, not willing to use it on my friends. I then replaced the Deck that Seria gave me with the one Yusei gave me. "But I will _not_ be controlled, and I will not let _you_ get controlled either!" I yelled, turning my Duel Disk on. I knew I had to do everything in my power to protect Luna and make sure that she didn't have to befall the same fate that I did. "I don't know how tough this is going to get, but stay behind me, alright?"

"R-Right…" Luna muttered, powering her Duel Disk on as she walked back a little bit, retreating further behind me so that she wouldn't take the brunt of Liquid and Okita's supposed awakened Psychic powers.

"Duel!"

[Tyler & Luna: 8000 LP]  
[Liquid & Okita: 8000 LP]

"I start. Draw." Liquid announced, his body moving in a very rigid fashion. "Normal Summon, Telekinetic Shocker, Attack Position." In a flash, the cyborg monster appeared on Liquid's field [ATK: 1700]. "Set two cards in backrow. Turn end."

"I'll go next!" Luna announced, drawing, "I Summon Dancing Fairy in Attack Mode," three tiny little fairies appeared on Luna's field [ATK: 1700], "and I'll play the Field Spell Ancient Forest." Luna said. My view of the cellblocks faded away as I found the four of us standing in a forest not unlike the one Luna and I had just visited in the Spirit World. "I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw card." Okita declared, his voice very much the same as Liquid's. "Activate Spell Card, Different Dimension Capsule." A blue sarcophagus appeared on Okita's field as a card flew into it, with the sarcophagus disappearing into the ground. "Field Spell Card, Brain Research Lab." And just like that, the Ancient Forest seemed to shatter as though it was made of glass, quickly being replaced by a room that was similar to the one I'd been brainwashed in. "Monster Set. Spell Card, Psi-Impulse." Okita sent his Set Monster to the Graveyard, and Luna was forced to return all the cards in her hand to her Deck, shuffle, and then draw three new cards. "Turn end."

It was time for me to find out what my old Deck could do. "I draw. Next, I place two cards face-down, and Summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" A caped spellcaster in armor of red and gold appeared in front of me, brandishing a sword out in front of him [ATK: 1900]. "Breaker, attack Telekinetic Shocker!"

My monster charged forward, running his sword right through the other monster's chest.

[Liquid & Okita: 7800 LP]

"And then, if it's alright with Luna, Dancing Fairy attacks you directly!" the three fairies flew up high, coming together as they created a powerful gust of wind that came down on Okita.

[Liquid & Okita: 6100 LP]

"Now I go to my Main Phase 2, and I activate Breaker's ability. By removing the Spell Counter he was given when he was Summoned, I can destroy a Spell or Trap Card, so I'm gonna destroy your Different Dimension Capsule!" Breaker gripped his sword with both hands, as a powerful light burst forth from the tip of his sword, extinguishing the blue sarcophagus. [Breaker the Magical Warrior: ATK: 1600]. "I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw card." Liquid said, "Reveal face-down, Reload."

I threw my hand forward, "I chain Pitch-Black Power Stone!" A black orb appeared on my field, Liquid simply returning all the cards in his hand to his deck, shuffling, and then drawing four more cards. "Set Monster. Activate Spell Card, Ruthless Denial."

Liquid sent his Set Monster to the Graveyard, and he was able to randomly choose a card from my hand that I would be forced to discard to the Graveyard as well. I held my three cards out for him. "Liquid, which one do you choose?"

"Middle card." He replied, still showing no emotion.

"Okay," I sighed, taking the middle card in my hand, Gemini Elf, and sending it to the Graveyard.

"Turn end." Liquid spoke smoothly.

"My turn again, I draw!" Luna shouted, "I activate the effect of Pitch-Black Power Stone, to give Breaker the Magical Warrior a Spell Counter." The black orb flashed, Breaker raising his sword-wielding arm to the sky [Breaker the Magical Warrior: ATK: 1900]. "That okay, Tyler?"

I nodded. "Yep. Awesome."

"Okay, then next, I activate Breaker's effect to destroy the Brain Research Lab!" Luna threw her hand forward, Breaker throwing his sword about within his grip as the lab was destroyed, the four of us once again standing outside of the cellblock [Breaker the Magical Warrior: ATK: 1600]. Luna then turned to me. "Tyler, would I be able to sacrifice Breaker?" she asked.

"Of course. Go ahead." I told her.

"Alright. I sacrifice Breaker to Summon Fairy King Truesdale!" Luna shouted. In a wash of bright light, my warrior disappeared to be replaced with what looked to be a giant elf in oversized armor with a strange-looking staff and transparent purple butterfly wings on his back [ATK: 2200]. "Fairy King Truesdale, attack them directly!"

Luna's monster nodded as a green light shot from the tip of its staff towards our opponents.

[Liquid & Okita: 3900 LP]

"Dancing Fairy, attack directly as well!" Luna called, her three fairies doing just that.

[Liquid & Okita: 2200 LP]

"Nice!" I encouraged.

Luna's face got a little red. "Th-thanks…" she muttered.

"Anyone who opposes Sayer _must_ _be_ _destroyed_!" Okita repeated, "Draw card. Reveal Trap Card, Psychic Overload." Okita targeted three Psychic-Type Monsters in his Graveyard, returned them to his deck, and then drew two cards. "Monster Set. Backrow Set. Turn end."

"Alright," I said, "I draw. And then…" I paused, looking over my options, "Okay! I activate my face-down card, Monster Reincarnation. This card lets me discard a Monster to the Graveyard, and then add another Monster from the Graveyard to my hand, so I'll discard my Apprentice Magician so I can bring back Breaker the Magical Warrior! And then next, I'm going to Summon him!" Once again, my red and gold spellcaster warrior appeared on my field [ATK: 1900]. "I activate Breaker's effect to remove his Spell Counter and destroy your Set card. Breaker, attack their face-down Monster!" I shouted. Breaker nodded, rushing forward and running his sword through the face-down monster [Psychic Jumper: DEF: 1500]. "Fairy King Truesdale, attack directly!" I added, Luna's monster easily taking away the last of Liquid and Okita's Life Points, my two mind-controlled roommates dropping to the floor in defeat.

[Liquid & Okita: 0 LP]

I watched intently as Liquid and Okita got to their feet, muscles tensed, eyes tightly shut. If they were still under Sayer's control, I had no idea what else I could do to help them. But more than that, I had no idea what that would mean for Luna and me.

Suddenly, both Liquid and Okita gasped, and their eyes opened. "T-Tyler?" Liquid asked. "What's going on?"

"You two were being controlled by Sayer." Luna clarified.

"We were being controlled?" Okita asked.

"Hm… That explains what those devices must've been in the laboratory…" Liquid muttered.

"But to think this is really an evil organization…" Okita mumbled. "You know what? I don't want to stay in this place a second longer!" Okita shouted.

"Agreed." Liquid joined in.

"Thank _goodness_! The brainwashing has worn off!" Luna sighed, relieved.

"Thanks for saving us, but we should really get out of here." Liquid said as both he and Okita began to leave. "What about you, Tyler? Are you coming?" Liquid asked.

I shook my head. "There's still something I've got to do…" I muttered.

"Well okay, take care!" Okita said as he and Liquid disappeared down the stairwell.

At that, I just began walking towards Sayer's office. "T-Tyler! Where are you going?" Luna asked, making me stop in my tracks.

"I'm gonna go pay Sayer a little visit." I told her.

"Wh-what are-"

"I have to make sure that he doesn't harm anyone else, and there's only one way I can think of doing that." I turned back to Luna. "I'd never forgive myself if I let something happen to you," I sighed, "now, go catch up with Liquid and Okita. You can trust them."

"T-Tyler-"

"I'll be right behind you, Luna, don't worry." I assured her. "Once I make it out of here, I'll come and find you, make sure you're alright."

Luna nodded. "Okay, but… please stay safe…" she whispered, lingering just a little before nodding once more and heading down the opposite stairwell.

I looked up at the ceiling and walked into the elevator and headed to the place where I knew I'd find Sayer.

* * *

"Sayer! Come out! I know you're here!" I yelled, standing in the middle of his office.

"And I thought I had you under wraps…" Sayer chuckled, stepping out from behind the bronze statue.

"You son of a bitch!" I yelled. "You hide behind your statues making others do your dirty work! I'm not letting you get away with this!"

"It seems that even Psychic Duels can't wear you down… which is surprising, considering the beating Akiza gave you-"

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled, clenching my fists.

"Looks like _someone_ needs a lesson in manners…" Sayer muttered. "Violence is not my policy, but…" Sayer drew a card from his Deck. "I think it's the only way to deal with you!" he slid the card into his Duel Disk and a fireball materialized above his head. "Take this!" Sayer yelled as the fireball flew towards me.

I unhooked Torunka's Staff from my uniform and deflected the blast back in Sayer's direction. "What in the-". Fortunately for me, Sayer couldn't dodge in time and was knocked to the ground, unconscious and, as I saw now, horribly burnt.

I walked up to him cautiously, just in case he was to make any sudden movements. Sayer was perfectly still however, and I bent down next to him. Sayer wasn't breathing. In an instant, I was overcome with something which I couldn't describe. "You bastard…" I muttered, tipping Sayer over onto his back. I could've easily killed him there and then with the staff, but I chose not to. His body was already burnt, his face now disfigured. But even with that, I wanted to do something more… _permanent_. Now that he was unconscious, my lust for his death had vanished, and I wasn't really sure what to make of that.

With the other end of the staff, I began to carve many obscenities and profanity into his head. The degree of his burns meant that they would never heal, so as long as he lived, he would constantly be reminded that he was nothing but scum. I wanted him to live out the rest of his days in disgrace. When I finished, I smiled proudly at my work, as I sucked in some of my saliva and then spat onto Sayer's face. I got up and planted my foot down on his head, rubbing the spill into his face with my boot.

Sayer groaned so incredibly softly that it could have just been some air escaping his body.

"See you in Hell, you piece of shit…" I whispered, kicking Sayer in the face before leaving his office and closing the door behind me.

I sighed, taking a moment just to compose myself.

"I _don't_ know what happened!" I heard a woman shout. The noise came from down below me. I don't know how, but I could tell that a Duel was going on underneath me. Akiza was in danger… I could just feel it. I quickly rushed into the nearest elevator and went one floor down.

As the elevator door opened, I looked in awe at what appeared to be a Roman-style colosseum. Akiza was Dueling! "Akiza!" I shouted, running towards her.

"It's your move, Misty…" Akiza muttered. It was then that I noticed Akiza's opponent. She was, pardon me for saying, incredibly attractive. She had long, flowing black hair and wore a tight top that, like Akiza's, left little to the imagination. The weird thing that struck me was her eyes. They were as black as the night, but her irises were blue. She also had a mark on her arm like Luna did, only this woman's was purple and a different shape.

"What have we got here?" the black-haired girl asked. "Another one of your Arcadia buddies has come to bail you out?"

Akiza turned to me. "Tyler?"

"Do you know what kind of organization you're really in?" the girl asked me. "Do you know how many lives have been taken because you and your kind play these twisted little games?"

"I-" I stammered.

"No, you wouldn't. You people don't care for anyone other than yourselves. My draw!" I watched as the girl picked up her card and slid it into her Duel Disk. "I'm activating the Reptile Spawn Spell Card. By removing a reptile from my Graveyard, I get to summon two Reptile Tokens! But they won't be sticking around for long, since I'm sacrificing them to summon the Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua!" she shouted.

"Earthbound _what_ …?" I muttered. I looked to the other side of the building and saw Leo, the muscular man and the old man. I looked back just in time and saw a multicolored ball of energy breeze past me.

"What is this?" Akiza asked.

"My Earthbound Immortal is absorbing the spirits of New Domino City's citizens. But don't worry, you're all safe in here." the girl smirked. "For now…"

Everything went eerily quiet for half a minute, until Akiza piped up. "What gives? Where's this monster? You did just Summon one, didn't you?" Akiza asked.

"Oh, I summoned one alright. Turn around, Witch…" the girl muttered.

Akiza and I both turned around slowly to face the window, but all I could see was blackness. That is, until a giant green eye appeared outside the window.

"What? What _is_ that?!" Akiza gasped, her hands shakily covering her mouth as she spoke. We both looked up at the ceiling. Cracks were appearing along the walkway, and a faint scream could be heard. We looked out to beyond the balcony, and for a split second I swore I saw Sayer's body plummeting to the ground. I snickered. It looked like Sayer _was_ going to die. After all, I thought, there was no way he could survive a fall like _that_.

"Sayer! _No_!" Akiza yelled at the top of her lungs.

"The building won't hold much longer. I guess we'll have to finish this another time, Witch." Akiza's opponent cried.

I watched as Akiza's opponent jumped off the balcony and seemingly into the abyss. I turned to Akiza, who was now on her knees, crying. "Sayer… Sayer… Sayer…" she mumbled to herself over and over again.

"Akiza, we've got to get out of here!" I insisted as I saw Leo and the others head down the stairwell.

"N-no! Not without Say… Sayer…" Akiza muttered, her eyes focused on where she had seen Sayer fall. Akiza seemed to fall into a state of hysterics as she called out Sayer's name repeatedly. She didn't seem at all willing to move, but I couldn't just leave her here to die as the building collapsed.

"Akiza, we have to move now! Come _on_!" I cautioned.

Akiza's breaths became heavier and lengthier. I looked around for the quickest route, discovering it to be the one that Akiza seemed to have come from. My eyes widened as Akiza's legs buckled, sobbing softly to herself. I walked up to her, bent down, draped her arms over my shoulders and picked her up, her front pressing against my back. Surprisingly, she didn't protest or anything. She wasn't even that heavy. I just had to focus while heading down the stairs, as to not lose my footing.

Akiza's cries for Sayer slowly grew quieter as I made my way down the steps until I reached the end, where Akiza was almost completely silent.

I hadn't noticed it before, but as I got outside the Arcadia Movement building, I saw that most of the city was in ruins. Buildings were cracked and broken, and odd purple flames seemed to spout from the water fountain. I heard Akiza groan softly, her face hung over my shoulder next to mine. I looked around for Luna and the others. The muscular man and the old guy weren't anywhere to be seen, but Leo and Luna were huddled together tightly near a bench.

"Luna! Leo!" I shouted.

"Tyler?" Luna asked, looking over at me. "Oh, thank _goodness_ you're safe!" she puffed.

I rushed over to them. "Are you guys alright? Where's Liquid and Okita? And the other two guys that were with you?"

"Tenzen and Bolt got me out okay," Leo told me, "but Tenzen was injured and Bolt's gone to take him to the hospital."

"What about Okita and Liquid? Where are they?" I asked.

Luna sat up on the bench. "They… they got me out of the building, but then they said they had to go back inside. They haven't come out again." Luna sighed, her eyes focusing on Akiza now. "Is Akiza going to be okay?"

"I don't know. She's pretty shaken up. We should take her to the hospital as well, but I have to go back in and look for Okita and Liquid."

"But Tyler-" Luna's words were drowned out by the sound of a Duel Runner screeching in the distance. It seemed to be getting closer. As we all turned around, a white Duel Runner with a circular frame came to a stop beside us.

"Jack!" Leo cried eagerly.

"What happened here? I saw the purple lights and-" Jack stopped as he took off his helmet and his eyes met mine. "Tyler!? You're alive?!" he asked.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Tyler, it's me, Jack…" he paused, "From the Satellite… remember?" he asked.

"Satellite…" I muttered. "Do you mean like Yusei? Were you friends with him as well?" I asked. "I heard you battled him in the Fortune Cup."

"Tyler… What happened to you?" Jack asked softly.

"Well, I was kidnapped by Sayer to join his Arcadia Movement. He brainwashed me and erased my memories. I managed to escape… now Sayer's dead… that's about it…" I muttered.

Jack gasped. "Well at least you're alive. You had everyone quite worried." he smiled, the smile fading once he got a better look at Akiza.

"We've got to get her to a hospital, but there are others still in there." I said.

"What? Others? Who?" Jack asked.

"A few of my Arcadia friends. They aren't with Sayer anymore." I explained. "Plus, this chick with an orange vest, blue shirt and thick glasses."

"Carly…" Jack muttered before putting his helmet back on, revving his Runner.

"Jack? Where are you going?" Leo asked.

"To rescue Carly and everyone else! You get Akiza to the hospital. It should be a short walk from here!" Jack ordered as his Runner roared to life and he raced into the Arcadia Movement building that was slowly tearing itself apart.

I heard Akiza sigh again. There was nothing I could do but look after Akiza and the twins. I just hoped that Okita and Liquid got out okay. "Let's go…"


	7. Where Beauty Lies

Leo, Luna and I had not slept at all since arriving at the hospital with Akiza the night before. Being contained within the Arcadia Movement, I hadn't actually realized the scope of the damage that had occurred to the City. There were many people being treated for injuries, and I was actually relieved that we arrived when we did. Bolt and Tenzen, the two men that helped Leo escape the Arcadia Movement, had already been discharged by the time we arrived at the hospital with Akiza. And eight hours later, everyone else at the hospital who'd been involved or affected by what happened at the Arcadia Movement had been discharged too.

Everyone except Akiza.

At some point, Akiza had lost consciousness, and the hospital bed she'd been lying was rolled into a much larger room with Akiza getting hooked up to sort of life-support equipment. Leo, Luna and I weren't able to go inside with her because we weren't family, so all we could do was just stand outside and wait.

I continued to glance at the door down the hall, expecting Jack to show up at any moment with Okita and Liquid, neither of whom had shown up at the hospital.

"Poor Akiza…" Luna muttered, before turning to me, "Tyler, do you think we were brought together for a reason?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you and I… we both have a connection to the Spirit World, a-and Yusei, Jack, Akiza and I… we're all Signers. It just feels too coincidental to me that we'd… that we'd all…" Luna trailed as the sound of footsteps came from down the hallway.

My heart started to beat faster and I turned, hoping to see Okita and Liquid, but it was just a middle-aged couple. I sighed, turning away. "Damn it…" I whispered.

"You're worried about them, aren't you?" Luna cooed.

I nodded. "They're the closest people I had to friends in that place. Them and Akiza. I mean, they all could have tried to hurt me, and they didn't. At least, not intentionally." I sighed once more, "I keep expecting them to just walk through the door at any moment, but-" I stopped, my eyes drawn to the couple as their own attention lingered on Akiza.

"Akiza…" The woman muttered. I'd gotten a better look at the two of them now. They both appeared to be in their early to mid-fifties. The woman had the same colored-hair as Akiza and was dressed in a blue skirt and top. The man had brown hair, side-burns and a beard, and was dressed in some formal clothing. The woman put her hands up against the glass panel and continued to say Akiza's name.

"Tyler, would you…" Luna whispered, "would you know who they are? I'm only asking because they seem to know Akiza."

I shook my head. "I have no idea."

I saw one of the doctors in the room come towards us, the automatic door opening as the couple ran to them. "Doctor, how is she doing?" he asked.

"Please, we're her parents." the woman added. My eyes widened. _Those_ two were Akiza's _parents_?! Well that would make sense, I thought. After all, now that she'd said it, I could definitely see the resemblance between Akiza and the older woman.

The doctor sighed before answering with "I… think it would be best if we talked inside…" and motioned for the two of them to follow him back into the room.

I couldn't hear what was going on, but it must've been something bad, because the woman burst into tears before laying her hands over Akiza's bedside. I heard footsteps and I turned, seeing Jack was now by my side.

"How is she?" Jack asked softly.

"Not good," I told him, "Akiza was barely conscious when we arrived, and now she's gone into a coma. I don't know what we're gonna do…" I peered behind Jack. "Wh-where are Liquid and Okita?"

"Who?"

"M-my friends from the Arcadia Movement. They helped Luna get out but then they went back inside. I thought you might have seen them when you went back in to rescue everyone."

Jack's expression darkened. "There was no one else in the building."

My heart jumped into my throat, and I swallowed hard. "W-w-what…?"

"Well, I mean, I couldn't really do a lot of digging around. The Arcadia Movement was pretty much collapsing on itself. The only thing I found was…" Jack paused, shaking his head. "Anyway, what I mean to say is that I didn't come across any bodies."

"No bodies? But… what does that mean?"

"I don't know," Jack turned to look at Akiza, "but Sector Security has got people down there now sifting through everything. Hopefully they'll be able to find something."

I exhaled shakily, feeling myself become weak in the knees. My stomach churned. I didn't want to believe it, but if Jack didn't come across them in the Arcadia Movement, and they hadn't shown up at the hospital, then there was a good chance they were still there, buried under rubble, or worse…

Dead.

"No… no, no, no…" I mumbled.

"There _is_ something else," Jack stated, "not everyone has been accounted for. Over one hundred people that were supposedly in the area at the time of those monsters appearing are now missing. Everyone else that was affected got away with minor scrapes and bruises… except _her_. I don't know what that means for your other friends, but there's nothing we can do about them. I'm sorry."

"This doesn't feel real…" I croaked.

Jack put a hand to my shoulder and looked down at me. "Well in any case, I'm glad you're okay. But you said last night that Sayer kidnapped you?"

I nodded. "I don't really know why. I guess it's got something to do with the Spirit World, because that's what Sayer was going on about, but… he wiped away my memories so the only complete memories I have are my name and memories of the last few days. There _are_ bits and pieces – I recognize your face, and Yusei's too. But really, that's all I remember. The only people I really feel any sort of connection to are Akiza and Luna." I put a hand to my mouth. "Sorry, that doesn't sound good, does it? I just mean…" I groaned, "I don't know what I mean, my brain's a mess…"

"That's alright. But then… if Sayer took you in, are you a Psychic Duelist?"

"No, that's what I was saying. Sayer basically said multiple times that I'm _not_ a Psychic Duelist and don't possess _any_ Psychic abilities, but I can go to this place called the Duel Monsters Spirit World, and that's where I met Luna."

Luna nodded, reaching out and intertwining one of her hands with my own. "Tyler rescued me from both the Spirit World _and_ the Arcadia Movement."

"Sayer wanted her too for the same reason. Leo as well." I sighed, "but anyway, I don't think we'll have to deal with Sayer anymore. Akiza was Dueling with someone, and I saw Sayer fall to his death."

"So _that's_ what it was all about…" Jack muttered.

"Jack, what can we do about Akiza?" Leo asked.

"I don't know." Jack answered.

"There has to be _something_ we can do!" Luna insisted, "I was saying to Tyler before that it's too coincidental for us all to meet like this."

Jack shook his head. "The only things we have in common are our Signer Marks, and that's _all_ I want in common with _her_."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Don't you know? They call Akiza the Black Rose Witch." Jack stated.

"I _have_ heard that name before," I confirmed, "but I'm not quite sure what it means. All I know is that Akiza has the power to make Duel Monsters real."

"Well, Akiza's been using her powers to inflict pain on others, and uses the Black Rose Witch as a persona. Yusei tried to reach out to her at the Fortune Cup, but it didn't work. You can't save someone like Akiza, and I don't want _anything_ to do with her."

"Jack, I've Dueled Akiza before and she was nice. In fact, when she injured me during our Duel, she apologized. But not just her, _everyone_ at the Arcadia Movement, aside from Sayer, has been kind and… _nice_." I explained.

Jack just sighed. "Well anyway, it's not like we can do anything to help even if we wanted to. The only person I think who could is Sayer, and you said that he fell to his death. Apart from him…" Jack trailed off, walking towards the door as it opened and he met with the doctors.

Leo and Luna just looked at each other with puzzled expressions. As I looked back into the room, I realized how strange it was for Akiza's parents, who I had never heard mentioned by Akiza or Sayer, to have shown up all of a sudden. And more than that, when Leo, Luna and I went to check Akiza in, the receptionist informed us that Akiza didn't have any emergency contacts under her name. So how could they have known that she was in an accident in the first place?

And now that I thought about it, where was Yusei?

"I just feel so useless standing around like this!" Leo growled.

Luna nodded. "We have to do _something_." She agreed.

"Wait!" Leo shouted. "I remember seeing this thing on TV where if someone's in a coma, you can talk to them and they'll hear you! Maybe if she hears us calling to her, she'll wake up."

"I don't think it's that simple, Leo. But now that you mention it, I heard _you_ the first time I…" Luna trailed off.

"Alright, so what do we say to her?" Leo asked.

"I don't know."

"Tyler, _you've_ known her the longest. You can probably say something that'll wake her up." Leo suggested.

"I mean, I can _try_ , but…" I sighed, "well I guess doing anything's better than doing nothing." I shrugged, heading through the automatic door to meet with Jack, the doctors and Akiza's parents.

"Tyler?" Jack asked.

For some reason or another, I ignored him and walked over to Akiza's bedside and peered down at her. She was dead silent. None of the occasional groans like before. "Akiza, um," I began to speak, "I don't know what I'm supposed to say. I… I know I haven't known you for that long, but… you're one of the few people I know at all. And I don't know what's gone on in your past, but I think on some level, in that way, you and I are alike. That woman you were Dueling… Misty?" I took a deep breath, before exhaling sharply, "She said that you did something that you couldn't recall? Well I'm the same. I know my name, I know how to Duel, and I know other little bits and pieces, but aside from that, I don't know anything about my past." I stopped once more, feeling constricted as though whatever it was inside of me that was making open up to an unconscious Akiza was also making want to break down. "All I can do is live through the words of others, and just… just _pray_ that what I'm doing is the right thing." My breathing started to quicken, and for a moment, something that I thought was very poetic and elegant popped into my head, and then I couldn't think of what it was anymore, so I was just left fumbling for something to say. "Anyway, I just want to let you know that I care about you, and Luna, and Leo and I are here for you." I sighed, knowing I couldn't continue talking for fear of making an even bigger ass of myself. I just stopped talking and closed my eyes, only opening them when I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder. "Jack?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I was going to give this to you later. I don't know how amnesia works, but I went and got you this." Jack said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a device before placing it in my hands.

"Wh-what is this?"

"It's your phone. It's got some music on it. Maybe if you listen to it, it'll help you remember…" Jack muttered, before giving me a pair of white earphones.

I looked down at the phone, and then back at Jack. "Okay… I…" I muttered, shakily moving away from Akiza's bed as I avoided the confused expressions of Akiza's parents and went back out to join Luna and Leo.

"Tyler, what happened?" Leo asked.

"You're crying! Are you okay?" Luna added.

I quickly reached up to touch my face and I could feel tears having ran down my skin. I didn't even notice it at the time. "I-I didn't even…" I trailed off, looking down at the phone that Jack had given to me. "I just said… I don't know what I said, but…" I shook my head, "if it's alright with you guys, could I just be alone with my thoughts for a while, please?" I asked.

"Okay." Luna nodded.

"Thank you." I smiled weakly, walking over to the wall I sat myself against it, plugging my earphones in and turning the phone on.

I was greeted with a wallpaper, a photograph of two boys. One of them looked like a younger version of me, while the other was a boy with orange hair in a buzz cut. I stared at the photo until the screen dimmed and then I touched the screen to bring the photo back.

Once I actually got _in_ to my phone, the first thing I went to, as Jack had suggested, was the music. And to be honest, I was both surprised and not surprised at all about the songs I had. They were all anti-life and depressing. One of the songs I listened to even talked about a man contemplating suicide because he couldn't handle the monotony of life anymore. I wondered if that was really how I felt.

My phone vibrated in my hand, notifying me that I had a couple new messages. Against my inhibitions, I went to go check them. The two newest messages were just spam, but aside from that, the newest message I had was from someone named Taze dating back a few years.

_Hey,_

_I'm not sure if you got the rest of my messages, but you can come back home now if you want. He's been charged and taken into the Facility. You don't need to worry about him anymore._

_Anyway, if you do come back, I've thought of some really cool ideas for songs. Hope whatever you're doing, you're doing well, and I'll hear from you soon._

_Taze_

I stared at the message until my vision blurred, and when it cleared, I once again saw a younger version of myself (probably about the same age as I was in the photo) sitting in a room with the same boy that was in the photo with me. He was strumming an oversized acoustic guitar, and I was sitting there next to him singing along.

I cringed a little at the sound of my voice, hoping I didn't _really_ sound like that, but even so, I couldn't help but smile. After all, I seemed to be enjoying myself.

The music began to fade, and my vision blurred once more, to be replaced with another vision.

I saw myself in my room again, with the same boy. Only this time, we were both a little older. I was writing on a piece of paper at my desk, but I couldn't get a look at what I was writing. "Are you sure about this?" the kid asked the younger me as he peered over his, _my_ , shoulder.

"Yes. This time I'm gonna do it!" I heard the younger me say.

"This is… what? The _third_ time this month you've done this?" the other kid said. "You're just gonna get on your scooter, ride around the block and then come back home and hope he didn't notice you tried to leave."

"Well then why don't you _help_ me?"

"Because they won't _believe_ me! Look, if I could help you, I would, you _know_ I would, but there's nothing I can do. Maybe the best thing would just be to put up with it."

"You wouldn't be saying that if _you_ had to live with him, Taze!"

"Dude, I know that what he's done, what they've _both_ done to you is wrong, but they're family!" Taze insisted.

The younger me just snapped. "The blood that runs through their veins is _not_ the same blood that runs through mine! We are _not_ family!"

Taze seemed to stare at the younger me with a look of shock and distain, silence enveloping the room. Eventually, he sighed. "I know… I'm sorry, that's… that's not what I meant. I'm just worried. If you do this, you can't come back from it."

"I know, but it's something I have to do."

"Fine, you do what you need to do then." Taze grumbled, "But just take care, alright?" Taze then turned and left the room without saying another word. I watched as the younger me got up out of his seat and pull a map of some kind out from underneath his bed, before spreading the map out on the bed.

"The only way out," I heard myself mutter, "is to run away…"

Those were last words I heard myself say as I suddenly found myself staring down at my phone once more, the sound of screaming and heavy guitars blaring in my ears. I could feel sweat on my forehead. All the visions I'd been having, was there even a possibility they were all connected? I mean, the first one seemed so happy and positive, and the next was just the exact opposite.

I sighed, another message catching my eye as the song I was listening to faded out. It was from someone named Joel. "Yusei!" Leo shouted. I looked up and saw Yusei walking towards us with Akiza's father close behind him.

"Hey guys…" Yusei muttered. I got up off the tile floor as Jack, Leo, Luna, Akiza's father and I followed Yusei inside to where Akiza was still lying comatose on her bed. It looked like she'd been crying. Yusei calmly approached the bed as the rest of us stood back. "Akiza…" Yusei muttered as he took his right hand out of his glove to wipe Akiza's tears away.

Almost instantly, both Akiza's and Yusei's Signer Marks lit up and Akiza opened her eyes slowly. "Yusei…" she mumbled, sitting herself up, "Yusei, you… you came to save me…?"

"Akiza!" her father yelled. As Akiza turned to face him, her eyes widened and she gasped.

"What the Hell are _you_ doing here?!" Akiza asked angrily. "Get away from me! I don't need you! I've got a new family! Sayer's all I need now!"

"Akiza…" I muttered, "Sayer is-"

It was as if Akiza knew what I was going to say. Her eyes widened tears began to well in them, clutching her head in agony. "He's dead isn't he? Sayer…" she whispered. "He said I wouldn't need to think anymore, that he'd do it all for me… And he… he was all… all I had left…" Akiza murmured to herself, tears in her eyes. "He was there for me when I needed him, _unlike_ _you_!" Akiza screeched. "He was more a father to me than you _ever_ were!"

"Akiza, please, calm down-" Yusei attempted to speak.

"Stay out of this, Yusei!" Akiza ordered. "That _stranger_ over there ruined my life!" Akiza's demeanor suddenly changed. She became quiet but more agitated. "There's nothing left for me here… this despicable world has tortured me at every turn… I'll destroy it…! I'll destroy it _all_!" she roared, pushing Yusei out of the way and grabbing her Duel Disk, slotting it over her arm.

"Akiza…" I muttered.

"I am a monster that brings pain and suffering to everyone around her! I will tear this world apart, and _all_ of you with it!" Akiza yelled.

"Akiza please… don't do this…" her father pleaded.

"Akiza, you're father's hurting too! Can't you see that?" Yusei asked.

"Oh, is he, Yusei? _Is_ he?!" Akiza snapped. "Imagine living with this Wretched Mark, this power that you can't control, and your family – the people who are supposed to stand by you – abandon you without a second thought!" Akiza's face suddenly formed a smile, but it was unlike any smile I'd seen. "You can't understand that pain… but I'll show it to you… I'll show you _all_!" Akiza shouted as she drew a card and threw it into her Duel Disk, causing a cyclone to appear and effortlessly blow the medical equipment and bedding away, as well as throw Leo flying back into Jack, and Luna flying into me. Luckily, both Jack and I were strong enough to keep ourselves upright and also stop the kids from stumbling over.

"Akiza!" her father yelled.

"It looks like the only way for me to reach your heart is by Dueling you, Akiza!" Yusei shouted, activating his own Duel Disk.

"You want to reach my heart again? So you can stab it?" Akiza asked.

"No, Akiza, I'd _never_ do that to you! We're _friends_!" Yusei insisted.

"Shut up and Duel me!"

[Yusei: 4000 LP]  
[Akiza: 4000 LP]

"Akiza…" I muttered.

"I'll go first. I Summon Evil Thorn!" Akiza shouted. "Since I can't attack on the first turn, I'll activate its effect and release it to deal three hundred points of damage to you!" Akiza shouted as the shrub that had just appeared on the field exploded and shrapnel was sent flying into Yusei as he was knocked over.

[Yusei: 3700 LP]

"Yusei!" Luna shouted, concerned.

"Jack, it's the first turn and Yusei's _already_ taken damage from Akiza's powers!" Leo ranted.

"That's not all. More pain is coming…" Jack muttered.

I just stood there motionless, fists clenched tightly, trying to deny what was happening in front of me. When I Dueled Akiza, she almost killed me without even wanting to, but against Yusei, she was deliberately trying to inflict as much pain as possible.

"You should know that when one Evil Thorn is destroyed, two more take its place." [DEF: 300] "Next, I'll activate a Spell Card called Closed Plant Gate!" Akiza yelled as vines appeared and wrapped around both of Akiza's monsters.

"Oh no!" Luna cried.

"Don't worry, Luna." I said calmly, "Akiza can't use the special abilities of her Thorns yet."

"Indeed." Akiza chimed. "That's why I activated my Spell Card. It prevents my monsters from being destroyed next round. Your turn, Yusei…" Akiza smirked.

"Alright! I summon Shield Warrior!" Yusei yelled as the knight appeared, before crouching down and keeping his spear at his side [DEF: 1600]. "I'll finish by placing two cards face-down. Your turn!" Yusei said.

"My turn," Akiza muttered, "I Summon my Tuner, Twilight Rose Knight!" she yelled as the blue-haired warrior appeared before going into its battle stance [ATK: 1000]. "Since he's on the field, I can bring my Dark Verger out as well!" [ATK: 0].

"Those four monsters… _already_ …?" Yusei muttered.

"What could she be Summoning?" I asked.

"Black Rose Dragon." Jack said.

"I know you think you know me…" Akiza muttered. "That by Dueling you'll reach the good Akiza… But she doesn't exist… She _never_ _did_! Now watch as chilling flames engulf the entire world, and the pitch-dark flower is set into bloom! I Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza yelled as she flung her hand to the sky as a magnificent creature of red and black appeared behind her, spreading its wings [ATK: 2400].

The dragon flapped its wings, as Leo, Jack, Luna and I braced ourselves. "She really _is_ trying to kill Yusei…!" I heard Jack shout.

"Next, I'll equip my dragon with Thorn of Malice, increasing its attack power by six hundred!" Akiza yelled as weeds and thorns erected out of the Black Rose Dragon's body [Black Rose Dragon: ATK: 3000].

"Please… don't…" Akiza's father muttered.

"What's wrong, _dad_? You want me to _stop_?" Akiza laughed. "I can see it in your eyes! I'm not your daughter! I'm a monster!"

"No you're not!" Yusei argued.

"And _you_ ," Akiza put her focus back on Yusei, "all _you_ care about is my Wretched Mark! You don't _really_ care about me! No one does!"

"That's not true!" I shouted, causing Akiza to look at me. "I saved you from the Arcadia Movement because I care about you! We're all here with you now because we care about you!"

"No! You all just want me to join in the fight against the Dark Signers!" Akiza shouted. "You don't care about _me_!"

"I do, but even if I didn't, I know that you cared about me." I said bluntly, causing Akiza's eyes to widen and everyone to face me. "When you injured me during our Duel, you were genuinely upset. It was _Sayer_ who told you not to worry, it was _Sayer_ who-"

"Don't you _dare_ talk bad about Sayer!" Akiza screeched.

It was at that moment I snapped. I didn't care that I was in the presence of two young children, or an older married couple. I didn't care that I was a little bit messed up from everything that was happening. I couldn't hold myself back. "I'll talk about him however I _fucking_ _want_ _to_ , you got that?!" I yelled hoarsely.

Akiza, along with her parents and Leo and Luna, gasped. "How dare-"

"No! How dare _you_!" I cut Akiza off. "Sayer took _everything_ from me! He took away my memories and tried to turn me into one of his slaves! He did the same to Liquid! And Okita! And guess what? Now they're _dead_!" I shouted. "At least you _know_ who your family is, and they are _right_ _here_! And they want you to _stop this_! You think you've got it bad? I don't even _know_ who my family is!" I didn't want to play the guilty card, but it seemed like I didn't have a choice. I closed my eyes, trying desperately to calm myself. Once I was able to do that, and some of the tension in the room had died down, I continued. "You say that your family doesn't love you, but if they didn't love you then they wouldn't be here…" I muttered.

I expected Akiza to change, to do something unexpected. Perhaps I had my hopes set too high, or perhaps she ended up doing exactly what I had expected without even realizing. "I _have_ no family. I'm removing one of my Evil Thorns from play to force Shield Warrior into Attack Mode and reduce his power to zero." Akiza said calmly.

"Looks like your prayer's fallen on deaf ears…" Jack muttered as Shield Warrior was forced into Attack Mode. At this point I decided to shut up, 'cause I _clearly_ wasn't helping [Shield Warrior: ATK: 0].

"Attack now!" Akiza shouted.

Yusei flung out his hand. "I'm activating Realize Defense! This forces Shield Warrior back into Defense Position." [DEF: 1600]

"That doesn't matter…" Akiza muttered, "Black Rose Dragon still inflicts piercing damage!" Akiza's dragon shot a thorn out and clipped Shield Warrior, cutting Yusei's cheek. "Luckily for you, Thorn of Malice won't let me destroy your monster in battle. Instead, it weakens its defence abilities." [Shield Warrior: DEF: 1000].

[Yusei: 2300 LP]

"Oh no!" Luna cried. "If Akiza attacks again on her next turn, she'll wipe away the rest of Yusei's Life Points!"

"I end my turn…" Akiza muttered before looking firmly at Yusei. "Don't think that I'm gonna make this quick. I'm going to make you suffer…"

"Akiza…" Yusei murmured. "I know you're scared. But that mark on your arm, that thing you call 'wretched', it's not. It means you're not alone. We're all in this together. You, me, Jack, Luna, even Tyler and Leo, who don't have Signer Marks of their own, came to know us because of _ours_!"

"You say that like it's a _good_ thing…" Akiza callously remarked, "what about all the pain and suffering I've felt because of it?! Being labled a Witch and becoming hated by everyone?! What about my parents _abandoning_ me?!" Akiza breathed shakily, "I was alone in this world, and Sayer rescued me. He gave me a home! But now that he's dead… everything I have is lost… and this world…" Akiza wavered, pulling her hairpin out, "this world will _perish_!" she yelled, a fierce wind brewing and cracking the windows behind me, debris scarring my cheek as Yusei's had been.

I turned to Luna. "Are you alright?" I asked. She and Leo nodded.

"My turn!" Yusei drew. "I activate Reinforce Truth! By skipping my Battle Phase, I can Special Summon my Speed Warrior from my Deck!" [ATK: 900]. "Next, I summon Junk Synchron!" The two metallic warriors posed together [ATK: 1300]. "Finally, I'll tune my monsters together!" he shouted. I watched in awe as Yusei's monsters came together as a bright light came forth. "Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!"

The silver dragon appeared behind Yusei, but much like Akiza's Black Rose Dragon, its form seemed to fill a large amount of space. Stardust Dragon roared in appreciation of being summoned [ATK: 2500].

_Stay back…_

I gasped, looking up at Stardust Dragon. It was like it had spoken to me, and I could understand exactly what it was saying.

"Cool move…" Leo began. "But Black Rose Dragon has more attack power than Stardust…"

"I end my turn!" Yusei shouted.

"You think that your dragon will protect you and your friends?! What a _laugh_!" Akiza smirked, "You'll just make it suffer, but who am _I_ to deny it that?" Akiza drew a card from her Deck. "Black Rose Dragon, destroy Stardust Dragon!"

We watched as both Yusei and his dragon was struck by Akiza's Black Rose Dragon. He and Startdust Dragon toppled over.

[Yusei: 1800 LP]

"Aki… Akiza…" Akiza's father muttered breathlessly.

"Unfortunately for _you_ , Thorn of Malice will continually allow me to weaken Stardust Dragon with every attack." Akiza snickered [Stardust Dragon: ATK: 1900]. "I'll make sure you feel pain even in _death_!"

I gasped as thorns from Black Rose Dragon fired at us. Instinctively I got in front of Leo and Luna, ready to protect them and take the hit. This was however unneeded, as Stardust Dragon used its wings to block the thorns from striking us.

"Stardust Dragon!" Luna cried. She could no doubt understand what Stardust Dragon was saying as well.

"Akiza, please! Stop this!" Akiza's father pleaded.

"Not a chance, _dad_ …" Akiza grinned sadistically, "I told you I'd make you suffer…" Akiza laughed again. "It's your move, Yusei…"

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Half Shut! I can cut the attack of a monster in half, but in return, it can't be destroyed until the start of next round. I target Black Rose Dragon!" Yusei yelled, pointing at the purple-red behemoth [Black Rose Dragon: ATK: 1500].

"Alright, now Stardust Dragon has more attack points than Black Rose Dragon!" Leo cheered.

"Stardust Dragon! Attack!" Yusei yelled as an array of stars erupted from the dragon's mouth and hit the Black Rose Dragon squarely in its chest. Akiza didn't even flinch.

[Akiza: 3600 LP]

"Was that supposed to hurt me, Yusei?" Akiza asked. "I've dealt with so much pain in my life that this is nothing to me…"

"I'll Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Yusei said, ignoring Akiza.

"You'll need them, especially since my Black Rose Dragon returns to full power at the End Phase!" Akiza smirked [Black Rose Dragon: ATK: 3000]. "Black Rose Dragon, attack Stardust Dragon _now_!" Akiza's dragon happily complied as it used its thorns to whip both Yusei and his dragon several times over [Stardust Dragon: ATK: 1300].

[Yusei: 700 LP]

"Yusei, are you alright?!" I asked.

"I'm fine…" he cringed, shakily getting to his feet.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn…" Akiza muttered.

"I'll place a card face-down as well." Yusei said.

"Is that it then? Have I finally broken you, Yusei?" Akiza taunted. "Have I _finally_ made you understand the pain I feel?! You're hopeless, Yusei. Utterly hopeless."

"You're right," Yusei replied, "I _am_ hopeless, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try my hardest to help you! I _refuse_ to abandon a friend!" Yusei shouted, his voice full of determination.

I brought a hand to my chest, wondering if that was why Yusei sounded so concerned when he first saw me at the Duel Runner track in the Outer Rim.

_Tyler? Is that you? Tyler! It's me, Yusei!_

"Friend?" Akiza asked.

"Yes, Akiza. I consider you one of my friends. And I bet Tyler, Leo, Luna and Jack feel the same way." Yusei said. "Please, Akiza…"

"You think someone like _me_ could be your friend?"

"Yes, Akiza, I do. I might not be able to understand all the pain you've gone through, but I can still do my best to support you. That's what friends do."

"But then… what happens when you get sick of me? When you realize you can't help me? What then, Yusei?! You'll just ship me off somewhere, won't you?! I can't let that happen…! I _won't_ let that happen! Black Rose Dragon, attack!"

For the umpteenth time, Black Rose Dragon leapt into action, directing it's thorns at Yusei and his dragon. However, as I looked on, Akiza's father ran out into the field and stood in front of Yusei.

"Stop this, Akiza! Stop hurting people!" he yelled.

"Get out of the way!" Yusei insisted, but Akiza's father stood his ground, preparing for the worst. Yusei flung his hand out. "I activate my Trap Card, Defense Draw! I can reduce the damage I'd receive from Black Rose Dragon's attack to zero and draw one card from my Deck." A transparent shield materialized around Yusei and Akiza's father, protecting both of them from harm, before dissolving.

"I'm sorry, Akiza. It's my fault-" Akiza's father began.

"Shut up! It's too little, too late." Akiza said bluntly.

"I… I was afraid you, you powers… I was scared… I didn't understand your abilities…"

"I know. I'm a monster, and that's why you got rid of me!"

"That's right. I thought, wrongfully, that if I sent you away to Duel Academy, that I could forget about you – that you'd be someone else's problem. But I couldn't forget. The truth is… I was disappointed in myself for not being able to deal with you, and having you around attacking people, while I couldn't do anything to help you, made me feel like a failure." Akiza's father admitted. "You have to know that even though I sent you away, I never stopped caring about you, or missing you. Neither did your mother. You're our daughter and we love you."

"Be quiet! The only person who loved me was _Sayer_!" Akiza spat, "Due to Thorn of Malice's effect, Stardust Dragon is weakened further." She explained, not wanting to continue anymore the conversation she was having with her father.

Once again, Black Rose Dragon's thorns continued to whip at Stardust Dragon [Stardust Dragon: ATK: 700].

"Akiza…!" Yusei twinged.

"Next I activate Wonder Clover from my hand. By sending Lord Poison to the Graveyard, Black Rose Dragon gets to attack twice." Akiza explained.

"Akiza, please. Stop this!" her father pleaded once more.

"Black Rose Dragon, attack Stardust Dragon!" Akiza cried as thorns flew out and struck at Yusei's dragon.

"I activate Iron Resolve!" Yusei shouted, flinging his hand out. "By halving my Life Points, I can reduce the damage I take from this battle to zero."

[Yusei: 350 LP]

"That doesn't matter! Stardust Dragon's still gonna lose more attack points." Akiza said as the whipping continued [Stardust Dragon: ATK: 100].

"Look at it. It's… so weak now." said Luna.

I nodded. "Only one hundred attack points. I don't know what Yusei's gonna do."

"I reveal my Trap Card, Doom Petal Countdown. By removing an Evil Thorn from my Graveyard, I can inflict three hundred points of damage to you." Akiza snickered as purple flower petals appeared and flew straight at Yusei, with Akiza's father jumping in to take the hit.

[Yusei: 50 LP]

Akiza's father screamed out in pain, as cuts began to appear all over his skin and his suit became battered.

"What gives?" Yusei asked. "Her turn is over, but Akiza's power is still growing…"

"Of course…" I muttered, remembering what Sayer said. "Yusei!" I shouted as he turned to me. "When I Dueled Akiza, Sayer said that she wasn't able to fully control her power." Yusei's eyes widened as I said this.

"Doom Petal Countdown is a Continuous Trap Card. On my next turn, I'll be able to banish another monster and then… You're finished, Yusei!" Akiza shouted smugly.

"Akiza…" her father muttered as he began walking towards her in clear pain, "please come back to us-" he flinched as he was struck by one of the petals from Akiza's card. It cut across his cheek like a razor, blood running down his face.

"Stay back…" Akiza ordered. "Don't come any closer!"

"Move, sir!" Yusei yelled. "Her powers could kill you!"

"I don't care. I can't turn away anymore. No matter how much you hurt me, Akiza, I won't abandon you…!" Akiza's father muttered, getting more cuts on his skin.

"Then you'll just _die_!" Akiza barked.

"Akiza, don't you see?" Yusei asked. "Look at the lengths your father is going to. If you don't stop now, you really _will_ kill him!"

"He's _not_ my father! We're _not_ family anymore!" Akiza shouted, shaking her head in disapproval.

"You're wrong. Give your parents the opportunity to show you that they care…" Yusei murmured.

"Show them that I care?" Akiza asked softly.

"Yes. Meet them halfway, Akiza. You have to." Yusei told her, but Akiza stayed silent. "Fine then. If you won't show them you care, I'll risk everything to show you that _I_ care!" Yusei shouted. "I equip Stardust Dragon with Silver Wing!" Yusei's dragon roared happily as its wings glowed a violet color. "Then I activate the Spell Card, Release Restraint Wave!"

"Release Restraint Wave?" Akiza asked.

"That's right. It lets me destroy my Silver Wing Equip Spell, and in return, all Spell and Trap Cards you have in play are destroyed!" Yusei shouted as Akiza looked over at her Black Rose Dragon in dismay. "Now both of our dragon's original attack points are restored." Yusei smiled.

Black Rose Dragon's thorns disappeared, and Stardust Dragon's wounds healed [Black Rose Dragon: ATK: 2400] [Stardust Dragon: ATK: 2500].

"No way!" Akiza shouted in disbelief.

"I attack Black Rose Dragon with Stardust Dragon!" Yusei's shouted, Stardust Dragon letting loose a transparent beam from its mouth, piercing through the skin of the Black Rose Dragon.

[Akiza: 3500 LP]

"From my hand, I activate the effect of Hedge Guard. I'll discard it to prevent the destruction of my Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza laughed as her signature monster rematerialized behind her [Black Rose Dragon: ATK: 1200].

Everyone cringed as her powers continued to intensify. The petals from Doom Petal Countdown continued to fly about the room, and not even Yusei's Stardust Dragon was able to protect us from all of the petals. I did my best to try and protect the twins, which earned me a couple more cuts, but I was absolutely terrified when the hospital equipment in the room started to shake and get throw about the room.

"Akiza!" Akiza's father cried.

"Are you guys okay!?" I called to the twins.

Even Akiza's eyes widened. "I can't stop it…" I heard her just barely over the howling of wind and petals. "I don't want… I don't want to do this anymore!" she yelled as the bed she had rested on was flung at her father. " _Daddy_!" she cried, and all of a sudden, her powers just stopped. The winds died down, the petals disappeared and the bed fell neatly back into place. I looked over at Akiza and saw in her eyes a similar regret to when she injured me in our Duel. Both Akiza and her father dropped onto the floor, just mere inches apart. "I'm sorry… for everything…" Akiza muttered, before placing her hand on her Duel Disk. "I can't continue like this…"

[Akiza: 0 LP]

Akiza looked over and saw that her father was holding her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Akiza," he began, "I should've realized that _you_ were just as frightened as _I_ was about your powers. I never meant to push you away… I love you, Akiza." he smiled, tears streaming down his face.

"I love you too, _dad_." Akiza replied earnestly, hugging her father tighter. They hugged in silence for several minutes before Akiza pulled away and looked over at us. "I'm sorry, everyone. I've hurt you all so much," Akiza then looked back over at her father. "Especially you, dad."

"It's okay, sweetheart. It's not your fault. I should have been there to comfort you and I wasn't. I missed out on so much time with you, working, and then having you sent away. I need to make up for that. I-if you'd like… it would mean the world to your mother and me if you came back home to live with us."

"Back home…?" Akiza whispered.

Her father nodded. "Yes… Your home was always with us, and I should've never made you leave." he smiled, Yusei deactivating his Duel Disk and walking over to them.

"Akiza, this mark we all have, for better or worse, it brought us together. It reunited you with your family. But whatever happens next, it's up to you to think about and make a decision. Will you help us, not as a Signer, but as a friend?" Yusei asked.

"Friend…" Akiza muttered, "Yes, I… I will help you…" she said, smiling weakly.

"Yeah!" Leo shouted, pumping his fist into the air.

"Akiza!" Luna smiled, her right hand across her chest. The twins ran up to Yusei and Akiza, myself quickly following.

"See Akiza? I just knew the Signer Mark was a bond between friends!" Leo cheered.

"That's right!" Luna chirped. "We're friends, all of us!"

"Like it or not!" Yusei joked.

Akiza looked down at the floor, a somber look appearing on her face. "But then… what do I do about… Sayer… I still… I still…" Akiza murmured. I bent down and put an arm on her shoulder.

"Akiza," I said slowly, "I'm sorry I said all that stuff about Sayer. Regardless of what he did to me, he obviously cared for you a lot." I sighed. "It doesn't justify what he did, but he gave you comfort, he gave you security… I think that's what Seria tried to give me. With what Yusei's offering, it's not just words; it's the real thing…" I glanced down at my phone as I once again stared at the photograph, wondering if I should give Taze a call.


	8. Headstrong

"So… Rex Goodwin…" I began, " _He_ would know what's going on, with the Dark Signers and everything?" I asked.

"Well I'm not really sure…" Yusei muttered. "But if anyone has any answers, it's him."

After we checked Akiza out of the hospital, Yusei told me a little bit about what had been going on. Apparently there was a group known as the Dark Signers, who were sworn enemies of the Signers – consisting of Yusei, Jack, Akiza and Luna. Leo had insisted to me that he was the fifth Signer (though Luna quietly told me that he wasn't, but that I should play along). Anyway, Yusei explained that the Director of Sector Security, Rex Goodwin, a name that I'd heard before, had invited them all to his mansion so that he could give them more information about the Dark Signers, though Yusei was still not sure that he could be trusted. I didn't know what the reasons behind Yusei's opinion of Goodwin were, but it was clear that there was some form of conflict between the two of them.

I'd decided to hold off on calling Taze, at least for the moment. After all, aside from a brief recollection of him, which I still had trouble understanding, I really had no idea who he was. And even if I _did_ know who he was, I thought, I still had no idea what I'd say to him if I _would_ call.

I sighed, glancing over at Jack. At least for the most part, Yusei and Jack weren't shaken by my condition, even though I had heard the two of them talking about me in private before. I didn't blame them. After all, Yusei had given me my Deck back, and Jack had given me my phone. They were probably just talking about how to deal with and communicate with me. It just sucked that, aside from a couple brief visions I had of them, I knew virtually _nothing_ about them. I had a lot of questions that I wanted to ask, but I no idea on where to start or if anything I said or asked would offend either of them.

With Akiza, Leo and Luna, I at least had a couple of things I could talk about with them, which was nice. Akiza had been under the employ of Sayer for at least a year before I showed up, and like everyone else at the Arcadia Movement (aside from Seria) was under the impression that I was a Psychic Duelist with abilities similar to her. I told her of course that that wasn't the case, as Sayer himself had even said I wasn't a Psychic Duelist, but that Akiza being a Psychic Duelist herself didn't matter to me.

Luna and I meanwhile had our mutual connection to the Spirit World, which is why Sayer went after me and tried going after Luna as well. I mean, that still didn't explain _why_ Sayer did what he did or what he was even after with the two of us. Leo had said that Sayer Dueled him as well to see if he shared a connection to the Spirit World like Luna did, and that, well, he didn't.

Luna actually insisted that I accompany them to Goodwin's mansion, which I was a little unsure about, since I didn't think I could be any use to them. Luna was _very_ persistent though, and I could tell by the way that she was speaking when she asked me that she seemed a little nervous about the whole Dark Signer thing. So I decided that even if all I could do was just ease Luna's concerns about everything, then that's what I'd do. It was nice to be wanted, after all.

Leo came up with the idea that before we headed to Rex Goodwin's mansion, we should go and 'absorb the sights of the district', as he put it, which Luna told me meant that Leo wanted to buy food and look at toys. Yusei, Luna and Akiza actually wanted to help me find some clothes I liked, but we ended up spending most of the time doing what Leo wanted, so at least for the moment, I was stuck wearing the Arcadia Movement uniform. Torunka's staff was still attached to it since I didn't have any place to put it, and I didn't want to be carrying it around all the time. It _had_ earned me a couple awkward stares from random individuals, but I paid them no attention.

"Ah! This looks _so_ cool!" Leo practically drooled over the glass panel which was protecting some card packs.

"You're _so_ embarrassing sometimes…" Luna muttered.

"How long have we got until Goodwin calls for us?" Akiza asked.

"Mina said she'll contact me when she's got the limo ready." Jack informed.

"A _limo_? Awesome!" Leo jumped, before going back to looking over the packs of cards. "Tyler, can I ask you a question?" Leo asked, not taking his eyes away from the glass panel.

"Yes, of course," I replied. I thought that Leo was gonna ask me about what cards he should buy or something, but he wasn't. In fact, Leo's question wasn't one that I was particularly ready for.

"What's it like having amnesia?" he asked, now having turned toward me.

" _Leo_!" Luna scolded him. "You can't ask Tyler something like _that_!"

"No. It's fine." I assured Luna as I turned my attention towards Leo. I could tell by Leo's innocent expression that he wasn't trying to be cheeky or facetious. So I decided to at least try and give him a proper answer. I had a bit of difficulty coming up with an answer though. After all, I didn't really know any different. All I _did_ know was that the reason for my amnesia was that Sayer had brainwashed me, and that even though I was free from his control, my memory hadn't returned. I wasn't sure if I'd _ever_ get my memories back, and the more I thought about it, the more it put me into a state of confusion and uncertainty. Of course, I couldn't really think of a way of explaining that to Leo, so I gave a vague answer hoping that it would satisfy Leo and not make me have to delve any deeper. "Uh… It's difficult. I… I can't really describe it. It's pretty weird…" I struggled to think of an answer that Leo would be able to understand, until for some reason, something clicked in my head, and then I spoke without even thinking. "It's sort of like watching a sequel to a movie without having watched the first one."

Immediately after saying that, I realized just how terrible of an explanation it was. Unfortunately though, it was the only one I could really give. I didn't know any different.

"Oh…" Leo muttered. "Man, that must _suck_!" he declared.

I sighed. "Yeah… yeah, it does." I said softly. With that, Leo's attention promptly became focused on the cards behind the glass once again and the conversation ended. Luna shot me an apologetic glance before getting into an argument with Leo about social etiquette.

I blocked out all other sounds as I focused my attention on the music playing through the store's speakers, tapping along to the beat on my Duel Disk. I was reminded of the vision I had of me playing music with Taze and I smiled. I shifted my view from Yusei and Jack to Akiza, and then to Leo and Luna, and as I turned again, I saw someone a few years older than me look at me from across the other side of the store. Something in the back of my mind told me to look away, so I did. As the sound of footsteps drew closer to me, I sighed and turned back.

"Hi, Tyler." the man said. I focused on the man, trying to figure out where I knew him from. He seemed very familiar, and he knew my name, so he was probably someone I knew before Sayer had gotten a hold of me, perhaps an old friend.

But – and this thought lingered in my mind – what if he _wasn't_? Maybe he'd just heard my name in conversation with Yusei and the others and was trying to lure me into some kind of trap of some kind. After all, I couldn't be _too_ careful.

"Hey…" I replied meekly.

"Never thought I'd see you back here. What's with the outfit?" the man asked softly.

"Why do you need to know?" I asked, feeling my free hand slip down and tap against my thigh nervously, all without any thought to it. I could tell that my uneasiness was noticed by Luna and Akiza, as they both glanced over at me, looks of concern and worry on their faces. Akiza even came right over.

"Who are you?" Akiza asked the man.

"The name's Joel, not that you need to know, witch. I'm more interested in my buddy here." the man said. Akiza twitched upon hearing that insult, and I could tell that she just wanted to just lash out and attack him, but thankfully she didn't.

"I-interested in me? Why?" I asked, taking a step back. It didn't dawn on me until a couple seconds of silence had passed that I had a few messages on my phone from someone named Joel. Messages that I hadn't yet read. I assumed that this was the same person.

"Why do ya _think_ I'm interested?" Joel sighed. "After our little promise, you just… up and leave…? You think I'd forget?"

"Uh… f-forget?" I stammered. I began to feel very uncomfortable, not unlike when I had met up with Yusei at the Outer Rim. I could feel sweat on my forehead as the urge to scream became my most prominent feeling and thought. It angered me, but I couldn't push the feeling away. The possibility that I would feel like this every time I met someone who knew me but I couldn't recognize became more apparent.

Joel looked to Yusei, then Jack, then Akiza, Leo and Luna, before looking back to me. He smiled a little. "Right, I don't want to make this a big deal, but we've got some stuff that we need to sort out, so do you want to go talk in private?"

My eyes widened as I struggled to regain control of my senses. "No, thank you." I declined. "If you want to resolve any matters with me, you'll have to do it here in public."

Joel suddenly grew angry, his expression hardening as he grabbed me by my uniform. "Alright you little shithead, listen here!" Joel shouted. It took a little longer than it should have for me to realize I was being hoisted up by this man, but fortunately Jack came to my assistance.

"Listen, mate! You can't just come in here and start demanding things! So why don't you explain yourself!" Jack barked, ripping Joel's hands away from my uniform.

"Sorry, I don't take orders from the _Former_ King, so why don't _you_ back off!" Joel shouted. "This doesn't concern you."

Jack's reaction made it seem like Joel had said the worst thing anybody could say to him ever. " _Former_ … _King_ …?" Jack swallowed. "You wanna say that to me _again_?!"

"You bring it, mate. I'll fuck you up!" Joel snapped.

"Now hold on! Violence _isn't_ the answer!" Yusei interjected, stepping in-between the two taller men. "Look, why don't we all just keep calm and discuss this rationally for a second!" Both Jack and Joel fidgeted before sighing as Yusei continued, looking over at Joel. "You obviously know Tyler, right? Are you one of his friends?"

"I'm his stepbrother, you crab-headed dick!" Joel snarled. His sentence seemed to smack me in the face, but I didn't react. How could I? I didn't know what to say. It didn't seem like the statement was a lie, because if he was going to lie, he could've probably come up with something more creative than 'I'm a family member'. There was also something telling me that Joel was being truthful. Of course, that probably did have something to do with the umpteen messages I had from him, which I didn't read many of, or any at all really, what with me having all my flashbacks and Akiza lying comatose in a hospital bed.

"Your _stepbrother_?!" everyone asked, turning their heads back and forth between Joel and mine.

"Yeah, that's right! Tell 'em!" Joel urged me, "I mean it's obvious you've told these guys nothing! So, now's your chance! Go on! Tell them everything!"

But I couldn't. I knew nothing.

As I processed what I was going to say, it seemed as if Joel was trying to kill me using only his eyes. His expression revealed to me this unearthed anger and resentment that I had obviously some part in creating. I felt sorry for him because of this, but also because of what I was about to tell him. "I… have amnesia…" I muttered.

Joel didn't react right away. To be honest, from the way that Joel had been acting towards everyone earlier, I thought he'd think I was lying to him and he'd punch me out, but he didn't. He just stood perfectly still, his ice-blue eyes gazing into mine. Eventually, Joel spoke. "Oh…" Joel seemed to take a few moments to process exactly what I said. His eyes changed. They seemed to soften. "D-do you… Do you know how you got it?" he finally asked.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fairly certain…" I muttered, Akiza shifting a glance towards me.

"Do you know if it's… permanent?" Joel asked.

"From what I've been told…"

Joel sighed, now seeming as though he was trying to find any excuse not to look at me. Eventually he brought his hands up and ran his fingers down his eyelids. "Alright, well you take care then…" he said softly, turning to walk away.

My eyes widened at his abrupt exit. "W-wait! Joel, where are you going?!" I asked.

"Why do you care?! You don't even know who I am!" Joel spat, not even turning back to face me. I felt offended, as if it was somehow my fault that I had no recollection of who I was. As Joel went to walk out the store door, my breathing elevated. There was no way I was gonna just swallow the information he had given me, and then just watch him walk away!

"Hey! You can't just come in and drop a bombshell on me like this! Why did you even come over here?" I asked.

Joel turned back to me. "I came over to sort some shit out with _Tyler_ , not _you_!" Joel spoke, every word filled with spite. "You might as well be dead!"

Joel's statement struck me like a knife to my heart. My supposed stepbrother would've preferred me dead. "What the Hell do you mean by that?! You have no idea what I've just been through!" I yelled.

"What _you've_ been through?! You ran away from New Domino to the Satellite and you wrote a letter basically throwing me under the bus! You abandoned your mother, and my family life's fucked up because of you! I don't hear from you for years and now you're suddenly back in New Domino standing in front of me, with no idea who I _am_! You can go fuck yourself for all I care, just stay away from me!"

"Joel, it's not like that!" Yusei insisted.

"How the Hell do _you_ know?! Who the fuck even _are_ you?! Some dude from the Satellite who won a tournament?! What, you think you're hot shit now or something?! That that automatically entitles you to butt in on people's conversations?" Joel snarled. "Why don't you mind your own damn business!?"

"My friends _are_ my business!" Yusei said defiantly.

"Is that right?" Joel jested, "Well, Tyler I'd say you've got a _great_ group of friends here to hide behind! A criminal, a witch, the ex-champ and two kids! I always pegged you for being into some weird shit, but at least you're not hanging around with Taze anymore, are you?"

I noted that the name Taze was brought up by Joel, and I thought about asking who Taze was, since it was obvious that Joel knew about him as well. But Joel had just insulted my friends, and there was no way that I was gonna let that slide. "You stand here talking about my poor choice in friends, but they've accepted me for who I am, and I wouldn't trade them for anyone. And at least I have friends. You're in here on your own." I said justly.

"I don't need friends. When you're alone, the only person you can rely on is yourself. You account for your _own_ mistakes. I'm not someone so _weak_ as to need to hang around with _others_ for support. Even after all this time, you still can't stand on your own two feet…" Joel said snidely.

"You think _that's_ what it means to have _friends_?" Yusei asked. "It's not that we don't have the strength to stand on our own, it's knowing what our limits are, and that if we stand together, our bonds will unite us and make us strong enough to overcome our limits."

"What the fuck are you on?" Joel asked. "No, seriously, what the Hell are you on? 'Cause if you've got something-"

"I'm sure that as Tyler's stepbrother, you have a bond with him, just as we, as friends, have bonds with each other. A bond that someone like you would have – as family – could never be erased!" Yusei shouted, before turning to me. "Tyler, you need to show Joel that in spite of all that's happened, the bond between you two still exists!"

"And how would I go about doing that?" I asked. Yusei simply looked at my Duel Disk, and then back at me. "You want me to _Duel_ him?"

"If your words can't reach him, then maybe your cards will." Yusei urged.

"This guy's bat-shit insane!" Joel laughed. "A Duel Monsters game will _not_ solve this problem, okay?! Playing Duel Monsters has got nothing to do with this! This has to do with the fact that Tyler ran away when he couldn't handle it, and instead chose to go and live with scum like you! He tore my family apart, and you think that playing some _game_ will resolve that?!"

I did agree with Joel partly. Yusei asking me to Duel Joel didn't really make much sense, but then again, I felt the same way when Yusei and Akiza Dueled at the hospital, and _that_ Duel ended with Akiza making up with her family. Perhaps… in a weird roundabout way, if I Dueled Joel, I could repair the bonds that had been severed, and maybe even learn a little bit about the old me as well.

"I want to make up for what I've done!" I insisted.

"So, what? Things can go back to normal until the next time you run away and bump your head?!"

"Things will never be normal! _I_ will never be normal!" I shouted. "The memories of my past, I will _never_ get back. But you know what? I'm fine with that, and you know why? It's because of the support I'm getting from the five people behind me! When I first saw Yusei a couple days ago, I flipped out! I was scared, and I didn't know why! But Yusei was persistent. He could've easily just forgotten about me, but he didn't! He found me, gave me my Deck back, and helped me escape from the madhouse I was in! With Jack, when I told him that I didn't remember him, he didn't walk away and say I was better off dead, he said he was glad I was alive! Akiza showed me that everybody in the world has problems, and we're all unique in our own way! She was gracious enough to let me see her for who she truly was! Luna gave me-"

"Alright! Jeez! How long are you gonna go on for?!" Joel shouted. "If I Duel you, will you _shut up_?!" Joel shouted.

I stopped. I did have so much more that I wanted to say, but I guess I was beginning to ramble on. "Yes…" I muttered dejectedly. Besides, at least Yusei would get what he wanted.

"Alright then, where do you wanna Duel?" Joel asked.

"Where would you suggest?"

"Well, obviously not here. There's not enough space." Joel pondered for a moment. "Are you alright with Neo Station?"

I turned to the others. "Do any of you guys know that place?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, that's just the train station. Someone made me go there the other day. It's perfectly safe, if a little _pedestrian_."

"Wow, you're _so_ upper-class," Joel sighed, "Alright, I'll lead the way…"

* * *

The seven of us left the shop, Leo sticking close to Yusei, and Luna sticking close to me as we all walked through various back alleys and underpasses until we reached Neo Station. The actual train station itself was closed due to the kerfuffle with the Dark Signers (apparently the city had suffered quite a bit of damage which I wasn't aware of, apart from the Arcadia Movement of course), but the parking lot was still open, so we made our way over to that.

Joel looked around aimlessly before focusing his sights on a parked Duel Runner. "I'm getting my Duel Disk, gimme a sec!" he shouted back to me as he walked over to it.

I heard a click and a Duel Disk slid out of a compartment on the Runner as Joel pressed a button. Joel strapped the Duel Disk to his wrist and took out a set of cards from a compartment on the Runner.

"Is this your Duel Runner?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah. I don't Turbo Duel with it though. The Autopilot's messed up, won't turn on." Joel explained. "I'm getting it fixed this afternoon." Joel then turned to me as I took the opportunity to speak.

"Look, Joel, I'm not asking you to accept who I am now, I'm just asking that you support me… " I muttered. "Yusei, Jack, Akiza, Leo, and Luna – they've all been supporting me, and if it weren't for them I'd probably be dead right now." My voice started to crack. "You're my stepbrother, and… I want to get to know you again."

Joel sighed. "Well… You've got your reasons to Duel me, and I need to make up for what I've done. So if this 'bond' can be found through Dueling you, then I'm for it. Just don't start crying when you lose." I didn't really know what drove Joel as a person to act how he did, and I thought perhaps it was better that way. There were probably things that I just didn't need to know about. I nodded as the two of us activated our Duel Disks.

"Duel!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Joel: 4000 LP]

"Alright, I'll begin…" Joel muttered. "I'll place one card face-down and summon Armed Dragon LV3!" he grinned as the lesser dragon appeared on the field, hardly being held up by its own wings [ATK: 1200]. "Your turn."

I drew and looked over my cards carefully. "I summon Gemini Elf!" I yelled as the twin elves appeared behind me [ATK: 1900]. "Attack!" I shouted as the elves charged at Joel's dragon.

"I activate my face-down, Sakuretsu Armor!" Joel flung out his hand as his dragon became coated in a reflective armor, and my elves simply dissolved upon contact.

"Oh no!" Leo shouted. "Now Tyler's wide open!"

I groaned. "I'll set one card. Your turn."

Joel grinned. "Now I can trade in my Level three dragon for a Level five one. Make way for Armed Dragon LV5!" I watched as Joel's dragon grew bigger and its skin turned from a bright orange to a deep red [Armed Dragon LV5: ATK: 2400]. "Attack!" I braced myself, but that was unneeded. The attack easily flowed through me and I barely felt a thing. I guess having dealt with Sayer and all the Spirit World stuff had strengthened my body more than I realized.

[Tyler: 1600 LP]

"Tyler!" both Leo and Luna shouted.

"I'll place a monster in defense mode. Your turn…" I said, steadily getting back up.

Joel drew his card. "I attack with Armed Dragon!"

I flung my hand out. "My face-down monster is Apprentice Magician!" Joel's dragon easily blasted through it [DEF: 800], but I remained steady. "I can summon another Apprentice Magician face-down." I searched through my Deck and set the card down.

"Then I'll end my turn…" Joel muttered.

"Huh?" Leo asked, puzzled. "Why didn't Joel upgrade his dragon to Level seven?"

"He must be worried about Tyler's face-down…" Jack muttered.

"I summon Rapid-Fire Magician!" I shouted as the robe-wearing sorcerer appeared on my side of the field [ATK: 1600]. "Next, I'll attack your dragon with Rapid-Fire!"

"Why wou-"

"I chain Magician's Circle. Now we can both special summon a spellcaster from our deck that have two-thousand attack power or less. I choose Dark Magician Girl!" I grinned as the blonde-haired, blue-armored young woman posed before winking at Joel, who was clearly not impressed [ATK: 2000].

"Well, just so you know, I have no spellcasters…" Joel shrugged.

"Right. Well since I already ordered an attack with Rapid-Fire Magician, he's forced to continue his battle with your dragon." We watched as Rapid-Fire's attacked seemed to bounce off the surface of Joel's dragon and reflect back to me.

[Tyler: 800 LP]

"Ah! Tyler, why'd you do that!?" Leo asked. "You've almost got no Life Points left!"

"Next, I activate the spell Sage's Stone, which lets me summon Dark Magician!" I smiled, slotting the card into my Duel Disk. The blond-haired, green-skinned Spellcaster appeared on my field in a flash of light, holding his staff by his side [ATK: 2500]. "Finally, I'll set one card. It's your turn."

Joel drew, glancing at the card in his hand, and then at my set card. "I'll place five cards face-down and end my turn."

"What the Hell are you doing?! You could've won this game by Summoning your LV7 Armed Dragon and attacking Tyler's Dark Magician Girl with it!" Jack shouted, strangely irritated by the fact that Joel apparently misplayed.

Joel smiled. "See, this is why you're the _Former_ King. I can only summon Armed Dragon LV7 at the End Phase after its LV5 version has attacked and destroyed a monster in battle. And besides, even if I could, the face-down card that Tyler has out is mostly likely Sakuretsu Armor, the same card that I used a couple turns back."

My eyes widened. Joel hit the nail right on the head. "Damn…"

"See Tyler, I remember all about your Deck, and the way you play must be so deeply embedded into your brain that not even amnesia could make you change your play style. If I were to attack with anything right now, my monster would be destroyed no matter what. So as I said, I'll end my turn here."

I drew. "I sacrifice Apprentice Magician and Dark Magician Girl to summon Brain Crusher!" I yelled. The giant insect taking up space behind me [ATK: 2400]. "Then I'll activate Knight's Title, transforming my Dark Magician into Dark Magician Knight!" I shouted.

"Nice work, but I'm activating Nuvaria! Then I'm chaining Dragon's Rage and Threatening Roar." Joel responded.

"Wait, okay, so… hold on… so, chaining-"

Joel sighed. "The effect of your Knight is negated, and you can't attack me this turn." Joel clarified. "In addition, if you were to kill my dragon, you'd lose the Duel."

"Wait, why'd you tell me that? I could've attacked and lost." I pointed out. Joel didn't seem to have thought of that, as his expression changed, and he sighed.

"Ah… fuck…" Joel said simply.

"Even _I_ , as the so-called Former King, wouldn't have made _that_ mistake!" Jack laughed.

"Shut up!" Joel shouted through clenched teeth.

"I end my turn…" I muttered.

Joel picked up a card, the irritated expression leaving his face almost instantly. "I'll place one card face-down and end." he snickered. "This is your last turn! Heads up!" he shouted triumphantly. Something in the back of my head was telling me that he was right. Win or lose, this would be my last turn. Whatever card Joel had set had to have been something he had been waiting for since the beginning of the game.

"Unless Tyler draws something this turn that can destroy Joel's Trap, he's done for!" Leo wavered.

I knew that I would be better off keeping both my monsters in attack position, because Joel's Dragon's Rage card would inflict piercing damage either way. Hesitantly, I drew my card. And as I saw it, my vision grew hazy.

When my vision had cleared, I found myself in a church, well-dressed and staring at a coffin, the picture of an older man next to it. I was alone in this church, and with every second that passed I found myself more and more inclined to touch the casket. As I reached forward to run my fingers along it, I found myself amongst a group of many other people, including Taze. An elderly man was reading something from a piece of a paper. He looked at me, reached behind him, and handed me a card.

"First, I activate Heavy Storm!" I shouted, immediately regaining my sense of place.

Joel groaned as his face-downs were wiped away. "Not like it matters! You can't beat me this turn!" he insisted.

"I sacrifice Dark Magician Knight and Brain Crusher to summon The Embodiment of Light – Explosivo!" I shouted, flinging my card onto the Duel Disk. I watched as my two monsters shone with a bright light, before they disappeared and a knight in red armor, surrounded by sparkling lights, stood in their place [ATK: ?].

"What the _Hell_ kind of monster is _that_? You've never used that before!" Joel growled.

"When Explosivo is Summoned, I can discard cards from the top of my Deck to increase its attack by three hundred points." I explained, brushing off Joel question.

"Wha-"

"I discard twenty-seven cards from my Deck…" I said calmly, slotting them into the Graveyard as Explosivo brandished his sword [The Embodiment of Light – Explosivo: ATK: 8100].

"No… fucking… w-"

"Explosivo, attack!" I yelled. The warrior complied and with one swift strike, sliced Joel's dragon clean in half.

[Joel: 0 LP]

Joel stood across from me, dumbstruck, as I recombined my card piles and shuffled my Deck. "The fuck was _that_ ass-pull?" he asked.

I honestly didn't know how to answer Joel's question. I had been through my Deck several times after Yusei had given it back to me, and I had never seen this 'Explosivo' card before. Then again, I probably saw it whilst skimming but paid no attention to the card, what with the rest of my Deck not really being anything special.

"Tyler! Are you okay?!" Yusei asked. "You looked like you were in a trance before."

"It was a funeral…" I muttered.

"What do you mean?" Yusei asked.

"I saw someone… but I-"

"Hey!" Joel shouted, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "The Hell'd you get _that_ card from?" he asked.

"I don't know…" I mumbled.

"You fucking _topdecked_ that!" Joel sighed. "And if I had've drawn Mystical Space Typhoon, I would've won easily!"

"Oh be _quiet_!" Jack shot Joel down. "Tyler won the Duel! That's that!"

Joel sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. That's wrong of me. A loss is a loss." Joel wiped at his brow with his wrist, turning to me. "Listen, I…" Joel paused, sighing once more. "I don't blame you for leaving. Hell, if I was in your shoes, I'd have probably done the same thing. You were lucky that you got out when you did, you know. Without you around, my dad… well he… He's gone now… and I'm sorry I didn't speak up then and there… I'm sorry that it had to take you leaving for me to finally do the right thing."

I honestly had no idea what Joel was referring to. I contemplated asking, but I figured there was probably a reason why he wasn't explicitly telling me. And I didn't really care at the moment as my mind was still focused on the vision that I'd just experienced.

There had to have been some connection to Explosivo and whoever was in the casket, otherwise I wouldn't have had the vision, right? And _Taze_ seemed to be connected to quite a lot of things. Joel knew him, and he'd been present in several of my visions.

"Hey! You still with us?!" Joel called out, causing me to snap back to reality.

"S-sorry…"

"You weren't even listening, were you?" Joel asked.

"I was, um… No. No, I wasn't…"

Joel sighed. "That's alright." He then turned to my friends. "Look, guys. I'm sorry about all the things I said. Akiza, you're not a Witch. I mean, okay, _technically_ you are, but…" Joel paused, obviously trying to think of a 'but', and then when he couldn't, he moved on. "Jack, you're… still second to Yusei here…" Joel tapped his hand on his legs, looking to the twins. "And, uh, you kids… stay in school… don't do drugs… unless-" Joel was stopped here by Yusei, which I thought was the best thing. Joel straightened up. "Anyway… Uh, it's obvious that you guys are all a part of a closely-knit group, and Tyler's lucky to be a part of that." Joel sighed once more, turning away. "Alright, that's a wrap. I gotta go get my Duel Runner fixed, and then I gotta go and tell a certain someone's mother that he's back in New Domino." Joel looked over at me expectantly.

"Joel, I… don't think I could face that… face her…" I admitted. If I couldn't even call Taze, how could I talk to my _mother_ who I didn't know anything about? "Just… can you not tell her that you've seen me?"

Joel sighed. "Check your phone…" he murmured.

I did as he asked and pulled it out of my pocket. "What am I supposed to be looking for?" I asked.

"You haven't noticed? You've still got phone service. You know why that is, don't you?" Joel asked. I shook my head. "She's still been paying for it all this time, 'cause she hoped that if… _when_ you came back to New Domino City, you'd give her a call."

"Joel, it's not that simple. I-"

"Your mom won't care that you've got amnesia. She'll just be happy to know you're okay. But if you don't want me to tell her, I won't. I understand that you still have to figure things out for yourself, and that's fine. Just… promise me two things, okay?"

"Of course."

"One: don't lose another Duel. When we lived together you always used to lose against me, so now that you've finally won, I can't allow you to lose. You gotta keep on winning."

"Sure." I smiled. I had no intention of losing another Duel, but not because it was what my stepbrother wanted.

"And two:" Joel sighed, his expression changing to a much more serious one. "When you're done doing whatever you need to do… call home. Your mother misses you… I miss you…" Joel's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Wow, I'm sorry, that sounded really gay. I just mean, take care of yourself."

"I will." I assured him.

"You'd better!" Joel smirked, walking back over to his Duel Runner. The six of us watched silently as he got on and revved it a couple times. He turned to me and offered a silent nod, which I returned, before he sped off through the gate.

"Nice boy…" Jack muttered, and I'm sure it was sarcasm.

"He had a cool Duel Runner!" Leo piped up.

"Yeah, but he also said a lot of bad words. I don't want you guys picking up any bad habits from him." I said to the twins.

"Are you okay, Tyler?" Akiza asked.

"Yeah, I mean… I don't really know what to think…" I muttered, acknowledging Akiza before turning to Yusei. "But it looks like you were right about the Duel."

"It wasn't just that you Dueled him. It was that you were willing to repair the bond that you two had."

"Yusei…" I muttered

"Wait, I'm still a bit confused." Leo said, looking over at me. "So you were originally from New Domino City, but then you ran away to the Satellite, and _then_ what?"

"I… don't know…" I told him.

"Then… _we_ met him…" Jack muttered. "He came through the Pipeline on a really old scooter with nothing but his cards, Duel Disk, an old bag and the clothes on his back." Jack then turned to me. "From what you told us, you told a few other people that you came through from the mainland, but, well… Satellite citizens aren't the most tolerant of people from New Domino. When you told them that, where you came from and how you ended up in the Satellite, they attacked you and tried to take your cards. Yusei saw what was happening and helped fight them off, but…" Jack trailed off. "Anyway, he took you back to meet us, and that's how we met."

"You never really told us about what your life was like before in New Domino. Just… that you had to get out of there. We never pressed you on it… it was never really something you seemed to want to talk about, so I'm afraid we won't be able to answer any questions about that…" Yusei muttered.

"That's fine. Besides, the past is the past, right? And the only way to go forward is to beat these so-called Dark Signers. I can worry about everything else later." I said.

"Tyler, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Yusei stated. "I mean, you're not a Signer, so you're putting your life at risk for-"

I blew Yusei off. "Dude, I want to this. If I can help you guys in any way, then I should." I smiled, before turning back to Luna and Akiza. "Besides… I still have a couple promises that I need to keep…" I muttered, noticing Luna's eyes linger on mine.

Jack's phone beeped, and he took it out to look at it. "Mina's got the limo ready." he said. "Follow me!" Jack snapped, in which we all complied.

"This'll be _awesome_!" Leo shouted.


	9. On the Turning Away

"Wow! Goodwin's mansion is _huge_!" Leo gawked. " _Humongous_! _Gigantic_! _Massive_!" The limozine's windows were severely tinted and so this was my first real look at the mansion. The outside of the mansion seemed to be very well maintained, and the surrounding area, a lush green landscape, stretched on as far as I could see. I had to agree, it was impressive. At the same time though, it was also a little bit unnerving. After what Yusei had told me about Goodwin, I'm pretty sure I could see the reason why the people of Satellite, myself probably included, were, and still are, living in poverty – _this_ guy was screwing everybody over!

The double doors opened out and revealed a well-dressed man with long, flowing white hair and hazel eyes. His gloved hands were kept behind his back. "Thank you all for coming…" the man said as Mina bowed graciously. "I've waited a long time for this moment, to have the four Signers here, all together… It truly _is_ with great honor that I welcome you to my humble abode. I am here to serve you." Goodwin bowed.

"Right…" Jack's eyes narrowed, "The only thing _you've_ ever served is a tennis ball…" Jack muttered. I took a few steps to the left, distancing myself from Jack. His jokes were almost as bad as Liquid's.

Luna drew closer to me, and I heard Akiza and Yusei murmur something to each other before Leo charged up to Goodwin.

"So why'd you bring us all here? Are you gonna give us Super-Dueling-Decks or what?" Leo asked.

Goodwin looked at Leo with somewhat disdain. " _You_?! _You're_ not a Signer!" he said sharply.

Leo doubled back. "A-actually, maybe I'll take a raincheck on those Dueling decks…"

"There are no 'Super-Dueling-Decks'. My invitation was extended only to the Signers. You should probably go home now." Goodwin suggested.

A look of depression swept across Leo's face. That poor kid, I thought. If _he_ wasn't allowed, then who's to say _I_ was?

"Signer or not, he's my brother. He stays!" Luna said determinedly, clasping Leo's hand in her own.

"I do?" Leo asked.

"Mm," Luna nodded, "and Tyler too."

" _Tyler_?" Goodwin focused on me for a moment. My Arcadia Movement uniform made him keep his eyes on me for quite a while longer than Leo. "I see…" Goodwin murmured. "Of course. Shall we go inside?" Goodwin asked, positioning one hand towards the doorway while keeping the other one firmly behind his back. What was he trying to hide?

No one said anything as we all walked down the hallway to the elevator. I don't think any of us knew exactly where we were supposed to be going, I just followed behind Leo and Luna. Eventually the elevator doors opened, revealing a long hallway. Goodwin took the lead, both hands still behind his back. "I must say that I wasn't expecting any more than the four Signers, so you'll have to forgive me until I get some arrangements sorted out."

I groaned under my breath, knowing full-well that Goodwin's comment was directed at Leo and me. Though, to be honest, I did find the way he looked at me puzzling for the most part. At least Leo had a direct connection with the Signers – he was Luna's brother. As far as Goodwin knew, supposedly, I was just a friend of the Signers with no real connection to any of the events that were happening, so why he didn't make me stay back with Mina seemed a little… _off_. There had to be some sort of ulterior motive that I didn't know about.

As we walked through the hallway, I found myself staring at the oil paintings hung on the walls. They were all rather old and each framed in gold. Eventually we came upon a rosewood door, which Goodwin slowly opened to reveal what looked to be an office. The walls, all a depressing brown color, were offset by the terrible green carpet. For a guy who seemed to be able to easily afford to repaint and redecorate, he seemed content with the 'state' of his office. I don't know, I guess I was just expecting a little more from Goodwin's office. After all, _Sayer's_ office in the Arcadia Movement had gold and marble statues everywhere.

Goodwin walked forward and around his desk, his gaze focusing out the window, before back at us. "Anyway, as I was saying before, it is… unfortunate that it has taken this long for the four Signers to get here, although I'm sure you understand why…" he muttered. "And I must restate how glad and honored I am that you would grace me with your presence."

"Suck up…" Jack murmured.

"Alright, Goodwin. That's enough! You called us here to give us information, and you're not the kind of person to give anyone anything without some kind of personal agenda. So what is it that you want?!" Yusei asked. I had to say, I was surprised at how Yusei had gotten straight to the point with Goodwin. I certainly wouldn't have had the guts to talk to him how Yusei just did.

"Hm… It doesn't seem like you hold much _respect_ for me now, _does_ it?"

"No, I _don't_." Yusei told him, "Goodwin, what is it that you want?!" he repeated.

Goodwin sighed. "Very well then." He then opened up a drawer at his desk and pulled out some small electronic device. He pressed a button, and a giant projector slowly made its way down from a slot in the ceiling to being eye-level with us. The screen lit up and revealed to me some sort of ancient structure, surrounded by an illuminated engraving of a dragon. "I wanted to show you this." Goodwin explained.

"What's that shape?" Yusei asked.

"The dragon… it's each of our marks!" Luna shouted.

"The Crimson Dragon…" Akiza muttered. I observed each of the Marks slowly, attributing each of them to their owner. In the limozine ride over, Yusei, Jack, Akiza and Luna had each shown me their respective Signer Marks. Yusei had the Tail, Jack had the Wings, Akiza had the Foot, and Luna had the Claw. Yusei had also told me that there were five Signers in total, but from what I could see in the image that Goodwin was showing us was that there seemed to possibly be six Marks, and therefore, maybe six Signers. Aside from the four Marks I had been shown prior, I could also make out the Head of the dragon and, curiously, Luna's Hand Mark in the image seemed to be clutching something from within its claw, something that wasn't there on the Mark that Luna had on her arm.

"Yes. It is the symbol that binds you all together as protectors of the world, passed down as a celestial legend." Goodwin clarified. "I'm sure that you've seen it… what the Crimson Dragon showed us all at the Fortune Cup…"

"The vision?" I whispered.

"Yes, we did." Yusei confirmed.

"In that case then, you know the reason of why I have called you here…"

"And what's that?" Yusei asked, looking at each of the Marks of the Crimson Dragon.

"The Crimson Dragon has chosen you to take on the army of darkness. This has always been, and forever shall be, your destiny." Goodwin clarified, pressing a button on the little doohickie, replacing the current slide on the projector with another. The slide showed the Crimson Dragon, and in front of it, five other dragons attacking creatures shrouded in darkness.

I recognized two of the dragons – Akiza's Black Rose Dragon and Yusei's Stardust Dragon – alongside three other dragons, who I assumed belonged to, or were supposed to belong to, the other Signers.

"Is he telling the truth? My _destiny_ …?" I heard Akiza mutter.

"Akiza…" Goodwin muttered. "It is because of your Psychic powers that the legend of the Black Rose Witch began, and Luna and Yusei found you. The Crimson Dragon chose you not _despite_ who you are, but _because_ of it. This battle may acquire abilities such as yours…" Goodwin sighed.

"This is a lot to take in…" I murmured. Although I knew I wasn't a Signer, what Goodwin was saying hit me hard. To be honest, I was kind of glad I _wasn't_ a Signer.

"Each of you fill a unique part of the Will of the Crimson Dragon, including you, Luna…" Goodwin said, turning to face her. "Tell everyone about your gift…" Goodwin smiled.

Luna gulped. "Um… I don't really know if it's a gift. I mean, I didn't get it for my birthday or anything, but sometimes when I Duel, I get transported to a strange land – the Spirit World – I would play and laugh with all the-"

" _Bor~ing_!" Leo interrupted.

" _Hey_! This is _my_ story!" Luna snapped. "Anyway, that's where I met the Ancient Fairy Dragon. She told me that the Spirit World was in trouble, and I had to help rescue it."

Goodwin nodded. "You all have a part to play in this battle. It doesn't matter about how you were all brought up, all that matters is that it led you all here to this moment. And you _cannot_ turn away! Your lives from this moment on are at the mercy of the Crimson Dragon – the God of Creation!" Goodwin emphasized.

"Um, Mr. Goodwin." Leo piped up. "I know I'm not a Signer, but aren't there supposed to be five of them?" Leo asked.

Jack nodded. "There's only four of us here now…"

"Wait, does that mean…" Luna pondered. "Tyler is the fifth Signer?" Luna asked, turning to me.

"That would make sense. You _do_ have a connection to the Spirit World like Luna, after all." Yusei said as he turned to me.

"No, it is not him. The fifth Signer already knows of their status and their powers." Goodwin informed. "However, you _do_ play a key role, Tyler…" Goodwin muttered.

"I… do…?" I asked sheepishly.

"The Dark Signers actions will not only cause damage to the Human World, but to the Spirit World as well. Since you are connected to the Spirit World, it is imperative that you help defeat the Dark Signers." I nodded slightly as Goodwin continued. "For safety reasons, I am forced to keep the whereabouts of the fifth Signer a secret, but know that when you face true danger, he will appear."

"What do we do now, though?" Yusei asked. "Until the fifth Signer shows, I mean." Yusei added.

"I must inform you on the powers of the Dark Signers. Their true agenda… is to kill the five Signers…" Goodwin muttered, causing the rest of us to gasp.

"Th-that seems a little harsh, doesn't it?" I asked.

Goodwin shook his head. "Within each of the Dark Signers is a limitless amount of power which draws upon the essence of Death. I'm sure you are well aware of the collapse of the Arcadia Movement…"

"Yes. We are." I answered with tone that showed that was obvious.

"Well _that_ was only the beginning, just a taste of the powers that the Dark Signers possess. Ultimately, they want to revive the King of the Underworld, and the only way that the King of the Underworld will be able to rise is without the interference from the Crimson Dragon and his followers – the five Signers."

"What happens when he is revived?" Leo asked.

"Once the King of the Underworld rises, he will bring forth his Army of Darkness and command the Earthbound Immortals to destroy the world…" Goodwin stated, showing little emotion.

"So you gathered us here to stop that from happening, right?!" Jack yelled.

"I gathered you here to ask for your assistance, not to force you into doing anything you're not comfortable with. I'm afraid I can only take you this far on the path." Goodwin informed. "In order to defeat the Army of Darkness, you will need to commit your entire life to defeating the Dark Signers. But you must know, the Dark Signers are no longer of this world…" Goodwin muttered.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I asked.

"To put it simply, they are Shades. The Dark Signers themselves are dead, only animated through the powers of the King of the Underworld to fulfill his purpose." Goodwin said all-too calmly. "If you defeat them in a Duel, they will most likely not return to their former states." I saw Yusei's eyes widen. He knew something that he wasn't telling any of us. "I understand that this is a lot for you all to take in," Goodwin began, "you are free to stay here until I have finished making the proper arrangements. But as I said, none of you should feel obligated to do this. After all, to do battle with the Dark Signers is to face death itself. I hope though, that you will all make the right choice…" Goodwin muttered, switching off the projector and leaving us in the dark, alone.

* * *

I barely slept at all the night before. My mind was too active. With everything that Goodwin had said, I had to admit that I was a little bit frightened of what was to come. Yusei wasn't helping ease my concerns there. It seemed like after speaking with Goodwin, Yusei had distanced himself a little from the rest of us. Conversely, Luna actually seemed more cheerful after the meeting with Goodwin, which was good to see, especially considering that Goodwin had said that she and the others would have to face death if they chose to fight.

Regardless of the mixed feelings within the group, everyone was able to get to sleep without an issue. Well, everyone except me. It wasn't all bad though, my insomnia _did_ give me the opportunity to wash my uniform and clean myself up a little while everyone else was sleeping. So I sat, earphones in, listening to Pink Floyd's 'Terminal Frost' on repeat as the washing machine took care of my clothes until sunlight broke through the one window in the room.

Without moving from my seat, I leaned over and pressed a button on the washing machine to end the cycle. I looked up through the window and watched as the cool mist of the morning mixed with the light of the sun. I exhaled, getting up and retrieving my clothes from the washing machine. I spent the next hour or so drying my uniform and then ironing it with a shoddy iron that I really had no idea how to operate. After the song faded into a soothing clarity for what felt like only the first time, I unplugged my earphones and rested my phone on the windowsill as I got dressed.

Slipping my boots on and grabbing my phone, I turned off the washing machine and disconnected the iron, before walking out into the hallway. From where I was standing, I could smell breakfast being cooked. As much as I would've liked to eat something, as it had been a few days since I'd had a proper meal, I just didn't feel up to it. I guess it was a little hypocritical of me to say that Yusei had distanced himself from us, when I was doing very much the same. When it came to Yusei, Jack, Akiza and Luna, I felt like an outsider. Some of that was due to what Goodwin had discussed with us, he did say that I had a key role, but I wasn't so sure. It was also just… I don't know, I felt like I didn't really belong. Best just to leave them to eat their breakfast in peace, I thought.

I sighed, walking into Goodwin's huge lounge room. The cool morning breeze flowed through the room and I could hear the cooing of birds from the outside. I sat down on one of the many massive couches in the room, pulled out my earphones and resumed listening to music as I tilted my head back and closed my eyes.

I didn't know how long I had been listening to my music for, but when I opened my eyes again, I noticed that Yusei was in the room with me. I took out my earphones and cleared my throat. "Mornin' Yusei!" I smiled. Yusei just turned to me, a hardened expression on his face, before turning away and facing the wall. "Did you sleep well?" I asked.

Yusei glanced in my direction once again. "For the most part…" he muttered. I noticed that Yusei had bags under his eyes and his skin was a little paler than usual.

"Did you get anything to eat at breakfast?" I asked.

"I wasn't hungry!" he answered sharply.

"Okay," I nodded. I could take the hint. I knew that Yusei had something on his mind that he'd rather not discuss with anyone, and my talking to him seemed to be irritating him. I knew that whatever Yusei was thinking about was connected to yesterday. I didn't want to be a pest, so I decided to leave him be. He'd talk to me about it when and _if_ he wanted to.

I put my earphones in again and yawned, leaning back on the couch. I kept my eyes locked on Yusei as he focused his gaze on something outside. His expression never wavered, eyes never blinking. A moment passed and he sighed, walking out onto the balcony.

It had become apparent to me that I had now been listening to the same song since I had gotten up this morning, so I began to rummage through the songs on my phone to find something else to listen to, though a shadow soon obscured the view I had of my phone.

I looked up to see Akiza staring down at me, who seemed to have been visibly shaken by something.

"Tyler…" Akiza muttered, a somber look on her face. I couldn't hear her, but I knew what she'd said.

"Wh-what is it?" I asked, taking my earphones out as she sat down beside me.

"You were right…" She said, looking down. "About Sayer, I mean. Mina showed me some of the documents from the Arcadia Movement that Sector Security had gotten hold of. He kidnapped innocent children and put them through tests to see the extent of their powers. Those that tried to resist were brainwashed like you, and if any of them didn't meet his standards, he'd…" Akiza struggled as she said these next words, "order for them to be killed…"

My eyes widened. "Akiza…"

"He was planning to use all of us as weapons, send us into war zones or foreign countries to try and take them over. I know you're not a Psychic Duelist, but from the documents that Mina showed me, it sounded like Sayer was going to try to use you and Luna to try and access the Spirit World and take it over." Akiza sighed. "I'm sorry you had to get involved in this. It's not right-"

"Look, in that aspect, I really don't care about me, but when it comes to harming _children_ , _that's_ messed up. Sayer could have killed Leo in their Duel, and if Luna had have ended up like me… brainwashed, then I…" I trailed off, shaking my head. "They're so young, and for Sayer to endanger their lives like that… it's unforgivable."

Akiza nodded. "He used everyone at the Arcadia Movement… I don't know what to think… I know part of me should be angry that he used me. But in a way, I used him. I mean, he took me in and gave me a home when no one else wanted me." The distress in her voice was becoming more apparent now, and I watched with dismay as Akiza's hands started to shake. It pained me beyond belief to see someone like Akiza become so broken.

I wrapped my hands around hers, and Akiza twitched, before she tightened her grip slightly and returned my gesture, entrapping my thumbs between one of her fingers and the side of her hand. "Don't look for people like Sayer to guide you. Look for support, but not someone to follow…" I muttered. "You and Yusei and everyone else have been so accepting of me and I can't, I _can't_ , tell you how much that means to me… how much… you all mean to me…" I smiled. Akiza's cheeks reddened slightly as the two of us stared silently into each other's eyes. God, she was gorgeous. When I realized how what I said could've come across, I sighed, only blushing when my stomach growled. "I'd better go get something to eat…" I said.

"That's right. You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Akiza asked. I shook my head, getting up off the couch. "Be sure to get something healthy." Akiza advised. I chuckled from Akiza's concern at my eating habits, turning to leave and head for the dining room.

As soon as I was out of Akiza's sight, I groaned. The Hell was the matter with me? Saying sappy crap like that?! Akiza probably thought I had a crush on her now! And I mean, I sort of did. Not really in a romantic way. It was more like an understanding. We'd been in the same place, experienced similar things, and well, I just thought she was great. Yes, she had stuff she needed to deal with, but so did I, and so did Yusei and everyone else. I would have been the last person to say I was perfect.

None of that really mattered anyway. With the whole battle against the Dark Signers about to go down, I was probably the only one thinking about anything else. Besides, she probably didn't like me in _that_ way anyway. No, I think if it was anyone, it'd have to be Yusei.

"Good morning, Tyler!" Luna's voice chirped. I turned around and met her face-to-face, the cheerful expression she had on her face yesterday still present, which was fantastic to see.

"Good morning, Luna!" I smiled, returning Luna's enthusiasm.

"Have you seen Yusei?" she asked softly.

My smile dropped a little. "He's with Akiza, but he's just staring out into space."

"Okay, thanks!" Luna nodded, "You skipped out on breakfast though. You should probably eat something!" she added, before running off to where I just was.

I continued down the hall to the dining room, shaking my head as I entered. "Hey, Tyler!" my eyes darted up and I saw Leo running towards me.

"Oh… hey…" I muttered.

"What's up? You don't sound so good." Leo stated.

"Nah, I'm fine. Just a little off from hunger…" I murmured.

"Oh?" Leo grinned, pulling at my wrist and leading me over to the buffet table. "Well check out this _spread_! Saving the world _definitely_ has its perks!" Leo smiled as he grabbed a plate and started piling food onto it.

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" I asked, concerned that he'd eat too much and make himself sick.

"No _way_! I ate breakfast an _hour_ ago, that's _far_ too long!" Leo insisted.

"Right… Well, I skipped out on breakfast…" that's probably why I'm feeling off. It wasn't that I was afraid of the Dark Signers. I wasn't afraid of death… At least that's what I told myself as my breathing escalated. I must've been breathing far too loudly as Leo looked over at me.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah… I-uh-" I began, before promptly staggering back into a chair. "I'm cool, I'm cool. Just give me a minute…" I sighed.

Leo nodded and went back to piling mountains of food onto his plate, then promptly eating it, and repeating the process several times over. I swear it was like Leo had hollow legs.

"Leo!" I heard Luna yell. I looked over and saw her rush in close to Leo. "You ate breakfast an _hour_ ago!" she shouted matter-of-factly, as if it shouldn't be humanly possible that Leo could still be eating. "Tyler's the only one who should be eating, he skipped breakfast!"

" _So_? I'm _hungry_!" Leo grinned before munching on a sandwich.

"I can't _believe_ you!" Luna puffed her cheeks. "You should be preparing for the trip to the Satellite, not stuffing your face!"

Leo's face darkened instantly. "I'm not going…" he muttered. I saw Luna's eyes widen. "I'm not a Signer… I don't have a reason to!"

"Leo, I'm not a Signer either, but I'm still going." I said, getting up and grabbing a sandwich.

"Yeah, but Goodwin said you're still important. You can see and talk to Duel Spirits. You can protect Luna better than I can…" Leo stated. "If I come along, I'll just end up getting in the way…"

"Don't you get it?" Luna asked as tears began to flow from her eyes. "I'm scared, Leo. More than I've ever been. I can't do this without you! If you're not there with me, Leo, then I…" Luna trailed off, bursting into tears and burying her face in Leo's chest, sobbing.

I was caught a little off-guard by how emotional the situation had become in such a short amount of time. I felt like I needed to say something to try to break the ice and ease the tension, though this did seem like more like family business. But with what Yusei'd said before…

_My friends are my business!_

"Luna, I…" Leo stammered.

"Leo, c'mon!" I spoke up. "You're her _brother_. You're _family_. What better reason is there than _that_?"

"Tyler…" Leo muttered.

"Besides, wouldn't you wanna be there to witness your sister totally _own_ the Dark Signers?" I continued. "Imagine missing that!" I wanted to simply state the fact that Luna was still crying her eyes out, soaking her brother's shirt with her tears, and that it's crazy that he's even thinking about not going: she's his brother, for crying out loud! "Look, I know this has nothing to do with me, but you guys are really lucky that you have each other… Just think about it, alright?"

Leo nodded slowly, before looking down at Luna, who's sobbing had quietened down considerably, though I noticed that her grip had tightened on Leo. Seeing the twins in their current states reminded that they were still children, and this whole thing involving the Dark Signers – especially my encouragement towards them going to Satellite, wasn't exactly the safest thing. If I was their age, and in their position, there's no way in _Hell_ I'd be wanting to go… but Luna was so psyched after the meeting with Goodwin, and now…

"Hey, um. Could you let me and my sister talk in private?" Leo asked me.

"Yeah, of course." I nodded, walking over to grab a sandwich before making my leave. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Yusei, Jack, and Mina on the grass having a conversation. The feeling I had, I knew it was almost time to go.

I should've exited the dining room and gone straight out to meet with the others, but I didn't. I doubled back and went into the guest room where I was staying, which was surprisingly barren in comparison to the main rooms. I grabbed my phone, Torunka's staff, my Duel Disk and my Deck. Even though I wasn't a Signer, if there was even the slightest chance of me being able to help out in a Duel against them or otherwise, I would do it, _especially_ if it would take some of the pressure off Luna.

I gasped as my Deck lit up. I flicked through the cards and saw that Explosivo was shining brightly. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and when the light dimmed, I found I was no longer in the room. I was in a forest in the Spirit World. "Oh, crap…" I muttered. Out of all of the times I had to be transported to the Spirit World against my will, it had to be _right_ before we're supposed to leave for the Satellite! Seriously the _worst_ timing ever!

"Tyler…" a masculine voice echoed. I turned and saw Explosivo walking towards me, stopping a few feet in front of me. "Do not be alarmed…" he muttered. "I'm not going to harm you…"

Easier said than done! "Uh… O-okay… um… You're a Duel Spirit, right?" I asked, eyeing the sword in his hand, the blade reflecting the light of the sun. Explosivo nodded.

"I am… but for the purposes of this meeting, you could also say that… I am your guardian…" he said.

"My _guardian_?! What's _that_ supposed to mean?!" I asked.

"On your father's deathbed, he gave you this card." he said, pulling a card of himself seemingly out of nowhere.

I shook my head. "I don't remember much about my past…" I murmured.

"I know. You've forgotten all but the smallest details."

The realization of my father's passing didn't strike me until almost half a minute later. "Wait, wait, wait, hold on… my dad's dead?" I asked.

"Yes, Tyler. I'm sorry." Explosivo apologized.

In my mind, I think Explosivo thought I'd take the news really badly, but to be honest, I didn't really feel anything. The news of my father's death didn't really affect me because I didn't really know anything about him. I had no connection to him, and I didn't even know if he was still alive anyway, as all Joel had mentioned was that I had a stepfather and a mother. At least now I got a little bit of closure and helped me better piece together just exactly who I was.

"Hmm…" I sighed.

"In your father's will, you were told that, through me, you would always be protected."

At face value, I had to admit that it was touching to find that my father had tasked a Duel Spirit to 'protect' me in his absence, and that Explosivo had been upholding the wishes of my father. Once I took a moment to think about this however, my eyes widened and I grew angry.

"That's a load of bullshit!" I shouted, catching Explosivo somewhat off-guard. "If you're supposed to protect me, why did you let me get brainwashed into the Arcadia Movement?" I asked, irritated.

"I cannot interfere with the will of the Crimson Dragon, Tyler. If you hadn't have been brainwashed, you never would've met Luna or Akiza. You never would have rescued Luna from Zeman. This is all part of the Crimson Dragon's plan, Tyler." Explosivo stated.

My mentality was shattered in that instant as it became apparent that the source of all the anguish I felt was nothing more than the will of some higher power. And if Explosivo was a part of that as well, that would've meant that Taze and Joel, my running away to the Satellite, Sayer capturing me, everything was just a big joke. "You _let_ me get brainwashed?!" I repeated.

"I had to. I told you, I cannot go against the will of the Crimson Dragon." Explosivo asserted. "I'm sorry, there was no other choice."

"Oh yeah, sure. Let's just get this kid brainwashed and fuck up his whole life! No big deal! You know what? Fuck you! Fuck the Dark Signers! Fuck _everything_! In fact, why don't I just kill myself? That way, you and the Crimson Dragon won't be able to use me as a pawn in some game!" I vented angrily. The scariest part though, was that I actually considered it. "My life is my own! You can't just spirit me away without my consent. You brought me here, so send me back!" I ordered.

Explosivo shook his head. "No. Not while you're in this state of mind."

"Alright, _you_ listen _here_!" I shouted. "I'm only _in_ this state of mind because of what _you_ _did_! Maybe if you had have just left me the fuck alone, I wouldn't be wanting to just give up like this!"

Explosivo's voice changed. It became a little more solemn. "You _weren't_ happy. You were anything _but_ happy."

"Well I don't know that for sure now, _do_ I?!" I retorted. "All I can go by is what people tell me and I'm sick of it!"

"You really think _that's_ what matters?" Explosivo asked me. "There is more going on than you are aware of, and I have been trying my best to not only abide by what the Crimson Dragon desires, but also follow your father's wishes. I know that you don't want to hear this right now, but everything doesn't revolve around you and how you feel. You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and focus on what's about to happen. It doesn't matter that you don't have a Signer Mark, dark times are coming and you're needed to help save the world. The other human, Luna, she needs you…"

"Luna…" I muttered. "If you tell me that you had something to do with her getting kidnapped by Zeman, I'm gonna-"

"I have nothing to do with Luna, Tyler. I only know of her from what Regulus has told me." Explosivo sighed. "Now, as I said, you need to man up and face what's coming. You don't have time to mourn the past or reflect. You just need to put it aside for the moment and do what needs to be done."

"Oh, it is _so_ easy for you to tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself, or for me to get over it or whatever. 'Cause this hasn't happened to you, okay? You're not the one who's got less than one month's worth of memories in his brain. And you know what?! _You're_ the one who caused this! How would you feel if I killed someone close to you and then told you to just get over it?"

"That's not the same thing, and you know it!"

"It's _exactly_ the same thing! Joel was right: without my memories, I'm not the same person. The old Tyler is _dead_." I began to feel an intense pain on the left side of my chest, as if my heart was about to burst. For a second, I hoped that it would. When I noticed Explosivo walking towards me, his helmet obscuring his expression, I then hoped that he'd drive that sword through my body, but he didn't.

"Look at me…" Explosivo muttered, his free hand tipping my chin up, forcing me to stare into his strange and unholy yellow eyes. "I promise you, Tyler, that once the Dark Signers are taken care of, things can, and _will_ go back to normal. As your stepbrother said, your family will accept you with open arms. You won't regain your memories, but you will have the support that you need to carry on with your life. For now though, you need to know that you have more power than you realize, Tyler. Don't give up…" he muttered, bringing his finger away from my chin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

Explosivo. "I can't take any more of your time, I'm sorry. I have to send you back. But… as for your stepbrother, just know that you need to be weary of him."

"Weary of him? Why, is he a Dark Signer or something?" I asked. I didn't get an answer though, as he receded into the shadow of a tree, and I was overtaken with a bright light.

When it faded, I saw that I was back in my room. I wanted to take a moment to just think things over, but I didn't know how much time had passed. For all I knew, the others were all waiting on me, or they could have left. I didn't want to admit it, but Explosivo was right: I had to stop pitying myself. The past was the past. My only hope was that I would be of some use to Yusei and the others. Looking at the Explosivo card in my hand, I hurriedly ran out of my room to meet with the Signers.

I found the mansion to be completely empty, and part of me thought that Akiza, Luna and the others had left without me, but then I saw them on the lawn outside waiting around me. I picked up the pace and headed outside, Leo running up to me.

"Tyler, where _were_ you!? We've been waiting!" Leo shouted.

"Sorry, I got… caught up with something…" I sighed. "But you're coming, right?" I asked.

"Of _course_! Yusei and the others will take the Dark Signers _down_!" Leo threw his fist into the air, and I couldn't help but smile. It looked like Leo and Luna had sorted things out. The smile left my face as Yusei walked over to me.

"Tyler, I'm sorry about how I was acting before. It was nothing against you, it's just… I've been having difficulties of my own these past few days. Anyway, um… Are you ready for this?" Yusei asked. I nodded, my smile slightly returning.

"Just don't do anything to hold us back, okay?" Jack glared daggers at me. I nodded once again.

"Well, this is it…" Luna muttered.

"Let's stay on task…" Goodwin muttered. We all turned and saw him walk towards us. "You'll need to get to the original Momentum Reactor in the Satellite." Goodwin informed.

"Original _what_ now?" Akiza asked, puzzled.

"What's it do?" Leo asked.

"It's the source of the Negative Momentum which caused the black fog to appear. And in a twist of fate, it was built by Yusei's father!" Goodwin emphasized.

Everyone except me gasped. I didn't know what they were all talking about, so I just stood there silently.

"All of you have the chance to make things right again." Goodwin claimed. "You must beat the Dark Signers and shut down the reactor."

Goodwin was about to continue, but he stopped and we all looked up as a helicopter came in to land near us. Out stepped an older man dressed in a green Sector Security Uniform. He had massive eyebrows and a scar across his left cheek. He turned and saluted to Goodwin. "Officer Trudge reporting for duty, sir. We're fully fueled and ready for take-off."

"Excellent…" Goodwin muttered.

"Hope you packed some peanuts!" Yusei quipped, causing Trudge's eyes to widen.

"Yusei!? Goodwin, what the _Hell_ is going on?!" Trudge asked enraged. "First you wanted him in the Facility and now you're letting him have a first-class ride!" Trudge shouted.

"Tetsu Trudge, nice to see you!" Mina walked up to him, smiling sweetly. Instantly, Trudge straightened up and blushed.

"Oh, hi… Mina…" Trudge murmured.

"Are we good to go?" Mina asked.

"Y-yes of cou-"

"Good. Everyone on board!" Mina ordered.

We all walked over to the helicopter. I didn't know about everyone else, but my legs were shaking like crazy. I'm pretty sure that my sweat was sweating.

"Wait…" Yusei cautioned, causing us all to stop and look back at him.

"What? Do you get airsick?" Leo asked. The thought popped in my head, did _I_ get airsick? I mean, it was my first time getting into any kind of aircraft. For all I knew, I could have been deathly afraid of heights. I probably was 'cause I started freaking out quietly to myself.

"Before we go any further, I need you to promise me something…" Yusei muttered.

"What is it?" Goodwin asked, annoyed.

"If we are successful in taking down the Dark Signers, I want you to finish the construction of the Daedalus Bridge. People have a right to be free, and I won't go unless you agree…" Yusei said.

"That may not be possible, Yusei…" Goodwin muttered.

"Oh yeah, and why is that?" Yusei asked.

"The people in New Domino have lived apart from the people of the Satellite for years. There is an obvious difference in class between the two. It's a way of life that everyone accepts. You have to know that change takes time."

"Then you'll have to find yourself another Signer, because if you don't promise me this then I'm not going." Yusei said.

Goodwin and Yusei stared at each other for a long time. A very, very, _very_ long time. "Okay, I'll finish the bridge…" Goodwin muttered as Yusei nodded.

Everyone else turned back around and started boarding the helicopter. I went and took the spot at the far end, next to Luna, as she and Leo didn't take up much room on the seat together.

"You've got some well-wishers starboard." Trudge informed. Yusei, Luna, Leo and I looked back around and saw Tenzen and Bolt, the two people who helped rescue Leo at the Arcadia Movement (who I still didn't know which was which) below us, waving. I'd wondered where they'd disappeared off to. I shook my head as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, switching it onto Flight Mode, and plugging my earphones in. Closing my eyes, I let the music drown out my surroundings as I was once again alone with my thoughts.


	10. Stormbringer

I didn't know how long it had been, music playing in my ears in no particular order, each song seemingly melding into one. The intensity of the environment became apparent as the sound of thunder cracked and broke through the music, if only for a moment. I could feel us begin to descend closer and closer to the ground, a sickening feeling rising in my stomach, quite similar to the feeling I had before we took off.

As the rotorcraft touched down, I opened my eyes wearily and I saw everyone around me getting up out of their seats. I yawned, unplugging my earphones and packing my phone away. "Good to see you're back in the world of the living…" Jack murmured.

"Excuse me?" I asked, looking across at him.

"You've been listening to that thing for the whole ride over." Akiza added.

"Oh, was it a little bit loud?" I asked.

"No, it's just…" Jack sighed. "Never mind. C'mon." Jack motioned, Akiza giggling as the two of them, along with everyone else, got up out of their seats and walked over to craft's exit.

I got up out of my seat and went over to the helicopter's doors as they opened to reveal… An orphanage. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure why Yusei would want us all to come here, but then again, I thought, maybe I'd know the reason why if I wasn't so busy listening to music.

Regardless, I followed behind Jack until I had stepped off the ramp. My eyes were drawn to the building. It strangely felt very familiar to me. In fact, everything around me felt familiar. I didn't really know it, but there was just something in the back of my head telling me that I'd been here before.

As I refocused on the front of the building, a tan woman, probably in her late forties came over to me in delight. She wore a nun outfit and had her hair styled into a kind of dreadlock. "Tyler! It's so _great_ to see you again!" the woman cried, embracing me in a maternal fashion. I kept my arms at my side as the woman tightened her grip around me just a tad. I shot Jack a confused glance and thankfully, he piped up.

"Uh, Martha. Tyler's having a bit of trouble with his memory."

"Memory trouble? In what way?" she asked, loosening her grip before pulling away from me.

"Tyler's got amnesia. He doesn't remember you." Jack said bluntly.

"I don't mean to be a jerk, but couldn't you have phrased that a little better?" I asked.

"Well the way that you were lookin' at me before, I figured you wanted me to say something." Jack said defensively.

"Is that true, Tyler? Do you not remember who I am?" Martha asked, a look of concern making its way onto her face.

"No ma'am, I don't. I'm sorry." I apologized.

"You don't need to apologize for having amnesia." Martha smiled softly, though I could tell that she was still a little upset to hear that. "Do you know how it happened?"

"Um, s-sort of…" I stammered. "It's a long story. I don't wanna bore you with the details…" I said, lacking the desire to talk about my predicament.

"The short of it is," Yusei began, walking over to Martha, "the Arcadia Movement that I told you about, their leader kidnapped and brainwashed Tyler. He erased his memories, and while the brainwashing itself has seemed to have worn of, his memories haven't come back."

"My goodness!" Martha cried, "I'm so sorry to hear that, Tyler. If there's anything you need, or if you want to talk about it, I'm here for you."

"Thanks, but… I'd rather not go into it, if that's okay…" I muttered, trying to sound as nice as possible, even though I still probably came across a little cold to her, which wasn't intentional.

"Alright, well, I won't pry." Martha nodded as Yusei approached her and the two of them began striking up a conversation. I tried not to think about it all, but hearing them talk about things that had happened in the past really made me wonder what kind of person I was before. I mean, I had thought about what my life might've been like if I wasn't involved in any of this, that is, the battle with the Dark Signers, but not what I myself would be like – my feelings, my desires, my personality. Could my life have been like what Explosivo had described to me?

"Anyway, so that's what's been going on with us. What about you? Is everyone here safe?" Yusei asked.

"Um…" Martha hesitated, "I… I think it would be best if you all came inside…" Martha raised her voice a little at the end as she motioned to the door. Yusei, Jack and Akiza nodded, following Martha back inside the orphanage. I hesitated for a second, not really sure if I should be going in or not. My hesitation ended as Trudge walked in front of me.

"Are you coming, or what?" he asked as Mina followed behind him.

I sighed a little as Leo and Luna inched closer to me. "These Satellite kids are weird…" Leo muttered as several pairs of eyes cautiously observed our actions as we followed Mina and Trudge into the house.

"Y-yeah… W-well… At least they seem friendly… A-and we have Tyler to protect us, right?" Luna asked, looking back up at me.

"You got it!" I assured them with a smile. I did think that it was a little bit odd of Luna to suggest that the kids might attack us, but I didn't say anything. In a way, I sort of understood their mindset. From what they'd told me about themselves, the twins grew up in the Tops area of New Domino City, a place drastically different to the Satellite, and so they hadn't really experienced things here first hand. To be fair, neither had I, or at least, I wasn't able to recall it.

"Everyone, take a seat…" Martha ordered. We all did as instructed and sat down at the dining table. "Yesterday, a black fog appeared out of nowhere and swallowed up the entire residential area of Satellite. When it cleared, everyone had vanished."

"Vanished?" Yusei asked.

Martha nodded. "There was nothing left of anyone. No bodies, no clothing." Martha looked on, obviously saddened by the events. "Luckily for us, the fog didn't come here."

Yusei's face darkened. "No… could it…?"

I caught sight of Yusei's expression. The same one he had after talking with Goodwin. There was something behind it all, there _had_ to be. This fog was related to the Dark Signers, related to what Goodwin told us, and if Yusei was going to go back to how he was, I needed to step in. "Yusei, can I speak with you in private for a moment?" I asked.

"Tyler, we're in the middle of a-"

"Yusei, please…"

Yusei sighed, before nodding, probably knowing that I wouldn't let it go. "Excuse us." Yusei said as we made our leave, walking out of the house and over to a spot near an old tree trunk.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Yusei replied with a question of his own.

"Just then, when Martha told you about the fog, you freaked out. And back when Goodwin was talking about the Dark Signers earlier… it just felt like you knew more than what Goodwin was telling us. And I… I don't know what it's like. You said we used to be friends, and I remember your face, I know I'm supposed to feel _something_ for you, but… I don't. But that said, I can tell you're a good person. You helped Akiza through her issues with her dad, and I'm pretty sure you'd do the same for me. What I'm trying to say is… I don't want to be a stranger to you, Yusei. If you know something about what's going on, you can tell me. I want to help you."

Yusei sighed, obviously trying to form the right words to explain what he wanted to say to me. "Remember how I said that back in the Satellite we were friends?" he asked. I nodded. "Well, we weren't just friends, we were in a Duel Gang together called Team Satisfaction. It consisted of you, me, Jack, and two others: Crow Hogan and Kalin Kessler. Together, the five of us defeated all of the other Duel Gangs in Satellite. Our goal was to make Satellite a good, safe place to live, but our leader, Kalin… well, he took things too far. Kalin ended up getting arrested and thrown into the Facility, where I'd heard that he died… But I met with him a couple days ago… He's a Dark Signer now…" Yusei muttered.

I tried thinking back to the vision I'd had during the Fortune Cup, where I was standing in the Satellite with Yusei and Jack. That would've meant then that those other two must've been Crow and Kalin. "Kalin…" I mumbled, "Which one was he? The one with orange hair or the one with light blue hair?" I asked.

Yusei's eyes widened. "Blue hair… Tyler, what do you-"

"That's something I remember… it's small, but… we were talking about Duel Gangs… b-but how did he come back as a Dark Signer?" I stumbled.

"I'm not sure…" Yusei muttered. "As I said, I met up with Kalin a few days ago. We Dueled and… he's like a completely different person now, but more than that… his Deck… well, you were still there at the Arcadia Movement at the time, so I'm sure you've seen it… an Earthbound Immortal?" Yusei asked.

My eyes widened. "Yeah… there was this girl Misty, and _she_ Summoned some Earthbound card during _her_ Duel with Akiza…" I muttered.

Yusei nodded. "Right, well, with Kalin, it's… it's a long story and we should probably head back inside, but just know that… I feel guilty that I couldn't help Kalin when I did… I felt the same way about you, actually."

"Y-you did?" I asked.

Yusei nodded once more, slowly beginning to walk back towards the orphanage. "When you went missing, I didn't know what had happened. You just vanished without a trace… and then when I saw you at the Outer Rim, I knew right away that something was wrong. I don't know exactly what happened or how Sayer got to you, but all I know is that it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't have been there."

I sighed, following after Yusei as I was reminded of what Explosivo had said. How I was _supposed_ to get brainwashed so that I could free Luna when she got captured by Zeman. "It's not your fault, Yusei." I told him, not wanting to think about it anymore. I cracked a smile. "Team Satisfaction, though? Really?" I asked at the doorway.

"The name was Jack's idea." Yusei said back. "And… I'm really happy that you remember a bit about what happened in Satellite."

I smiled. "Yeah… Me too…"

Yusei and I returned to the table, where everybody was still seated. I saw that Martha and Akiza were having a nice long chat, giggling and smiling at each other.

"Oh, Yusei. You were right, Akiza is a charmer isn't she?" Martha smiled as Yusei blushed and I took my seat in-between Luna and Jack. "Anyway, is everything okay?" Martha asked.

"Yes, ma'am." I nodded.

"And what about you, Yusei? Are you still afraid to go up against Kalin?" Martha asked.

Yusei looked down at the table. "To be honest, yes… but Kalin made his choice. Even though there's still a part of me that considers him a friend, I know he doesn't feel the same way about me. He wants me dead, and there's nothing I can do about that, but the fate of New Domino City rests with us. I have to put my past with Kalin aside and do what's right."

"You've become quite a man, Yusei. I couldn't have said it better myself." Martha smiled, rising from her seat. "Well, you can all stay here for as long as you like, but I know you'd all probably like to get on. Before you go though, I'll prepare you some dinner. You can't save the world on an empty stomach."

" _Alright_!" Leo cheered. "When do we eat?"

" _Leo_!" Luna nudged Leo in the side. "Don't be so rude!"

"It's quite alright." Martha assured. "Dinner will take a while to be ready, so all of you feel free to make yourselves at home."

I nodded as everyone got up out of their seats and left the room, Leo and Luna following close behind me. "Tyler, we should stay close together, shouldn't we?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, these Satellite kids may look nice, but they're kinda creepy." Leo added.

"Well I wouldn't call them creepy," I began. "These kids have probably grown up in really harsh circumstances… Death, violence, substance abuse… It's a miracle they're all so cheerful and not moping around feeling sorry for themselves…" I proceeded to look down at the floor as I recalled again what Explosivo had said to me about me feeling sorry for myself. "That being said, if any of 'em _did_ try to hurt you, I wouldn't let 'em." I smiled faintly as the three of us walked outside.

Leo probably thought that his comment brought up some things that I didn't really want to talk about. In a way, it did. But it also reminded me of something that I needed to say. "Also, I, uh… I wanted to apologize. What happened at the hospital, I'm sorry for acting like that and saying what I said. I used words I shouldn't have…" I muttered. "It's just… _no_ … there's no excuse for how I acted. I want you both to promise me that you won't repeat any of the bad words I said. Can you do that for me?" I asked as Leo and Luna nodded quickly.

We reached a tree that created some shade and I breathed heavily, taking in the sounds of my surroundings. We all slowly sat down, resting against the trunk as I laid back and closed my eyes.

* * *

"Tyler, get up!"

"Leo, don't!"

I groaned as I felt someone shake me. I opened my eyes to see Leo trying to drag me up by my wrist and Luna standing behind him.

"Yeah?" I asked, the irritation clear in my voice.

"Dinner is ready! C'mon!" Leo shouted, trying to pull me up again as Luna looked on, rolling her eyes at her brother's futile attempts.

"Okay…" I groaned again, getting up and wiping the grass and ants off my uniform.

"Sorry about Leo, Tyler…" Luna muttered.

"No, it's alright, I-" I paused, hearing the rustling of a bush behind me. As quickly as it began, it stopped.

"You okay?" Luna asked.

I looked around cautiously before turning to Luna. "Yeah… I'm fine…" I said as we followed Leo inside who was charging ahead triumphantly.

We reached the dining room again and I took a step back. There were now many kids sitting at the table along with Yusei, Jack, Akiza, Trudge, Mina and Martha – and they were all staring.

"Sorry… we're… late…" I said awkwardly.

"Tyler was just taking a nap!" Leo grinned, before taking one of the empty seats.

"That's quite alright. We were waiting for the stew to cool down anyway." smiled Martha. I took the empty seat next to a brown-haired boy as everyone turned to face the front of the table. "Please eat up, everyone." Martha said.

I looked down at my bowl of stew. To be honest, I couldn't really make out what was in the stew itself, but that didn't really bother me. I'd be grateful to have anything at all. Besides, I'd eat pretty much anything anyway. Well, except for mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, beetroot, cabbage, squash, and renkon.

Oh, wait, and fish.

I hesitantly took a spoonful after seeing Leo stick his tongue out and mention his displeasure at the taste. It wasn't bad at all. In fact, I preferred it over the sandwiches that Goodwin had at his mansion.

"This stew is delicious!" the boy next to me said.

"The guy from Security made it!" a spiky haired boy exclaimed, causing my head, along with everyone else's to turn slowly towards Trudge, who began to blush.

"W-w-well…" Trudge stuttered.

"Thank you for the stew, mister!" a black-haired girl said cheerfully.

"Yes, thank you!" the brown-haired girl beside her smiled.

Yusei looked up from his stew. "Listen, if we win against the Dark Signers, Goodwin has promised to finish building the Daedalus Bridge so that Satellite will be connected to New Domino. That means that you'll be able to grow up and become anything you want." Yusei smiled.

"Alright!" the brown-haired kid next to me cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

I saw a bright light appear outside as the sound of thunder and shattering glass filled our ears, shards of glass coming at us as the lightbulbs above our heads suddenly blew.

"What was that?" Yusei asked, as he tried to shield some of the kids from the debris.

"Is everyone okay?" Martha asked as she got up and Leo and Luna ran over to me, both gripping my arms.

The entire group went silent as a chilling laugh was heard. Yusei and I directed our attention to outside, where we saw a hooded man's shadow.

"Who are you?!" Yusei called out.

The man took off his hood. "My name is Roman, and I am a Dark Signer." he said as he lifted his arm up into view, causing Yusei to gasp.

"Yusei?" I asked, turning to him.

"His mark… it's the Mark of the Spider… _That's_ what the Crimson Dragon showed us at the Fortune Cup…" Yusei muttered.

"I'd heard that you'd arrived, so I thought I'd come to welcome you." Roman said with an almost heightened level of smugness that I'd only seen Sayer reach. "Of course, we Dark Signers have a _special_ way to welcome Signers such as yourselves…" Roman slotted a Duel Disk over his arm.

"You want a Duel? Fine! Bring it on!" Jack asserted as he charged at Roman, but Yusei put his arm out to stop him.

"We can't Duel here, it's not safe. If he Summons his Earthbound Immortal, everybody here will get swallowed up." Yusei explained.

"So what do we do then?" I asked.

Yusei turned back to me. "I'll lead him away, but you and Jack will need to look after Martha and the kids."

Jack and I both nodded as I looked to Leo and Luna, who were still gripping my arms tightly. "Alright, guys. Let's go…" I muttered, following Jack and Mina out of the dining room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yusei open a window, climb through it and Akiza run out after him.

"Come on, everyone! Hurry up!" Trudge ordered as we maintained a steady pace towards what I assumed would be a safer place than where we currently were. After a few minutes of walking, both Jack and Luna's Signer Marks lit up.

"Does that mean…?" I began.

"Yes. It's started…" Jack murmured.

"I'm scared…" Luna muttered.

"Don't worry," I told her, "I'll protect you."

Everyone stopped behind Martha as she stopped at a single wooden door before opening it slightly and turning back to us. "In here, everyone." Martha ordered.

"Wait a minute, Taka's not with us!" a black-haired girl cried.

"I can't see John or Mitch either!" another girl added.

"What?! Oh, no! What do we do?" Martha asked worriedly, before looking up towards the ceiling and running off from where we came.

" _Martha_!" Jack cried, as he and Trudge ran after her.

Leo turned to me. "What do we do now?" he asked.

I felt conflicted, like I should have gone with Jack and Trudge too to help Martha. But Yusei _did_ say as well that he wanted me to make sure that the kids were safe as well. "I… Uh… I guess we just do what Martha said and try to wait it out in here…" I muttered, as I opened the door wider and allowed the others to walk in.

Mina stopped beside me and smiled, acknowledging my decision.

The storeroom was barely big enough, but we all made ourselves at home. There was a little tinned food which made me wonder why we didn't have _that_ for dinner instead of the soup. I mean, I liked the soup, but I would've killed to have some meat. Even some tinned stuff.

The kids all seemed to be worried about Yusei and the others, but I wasn't. Even though I had no idea who Roman was, I had complete faith in Yusei that he'd be able to win against him in a Duel.

As my hands dropped to my sides, my eyes widened. "Wow… I'm an idiot…" I suddenly said, turning to the twins. "I am _so_ sorry, you guys."

"What's up?" Leo asked.

I unhooked Torunka's Staff from my uniform. "I _literally_ just realized I could have used this to protect you guys when Akiza was trying to kill us. I don't know what happened. It just slipped my mind."

"It's okay, Tyler," Luna assured me, "Stardust Dragon protected us. And then when it couldn't, you jumped in."

"Yeah, but… I don't know… I just feel stupid for forgetting about it…" I mumbled, "I mean, it's literally been on me the whole time."

"Don't _worry_ ," Luna continued to smile at me.

"What is that anyway?" Leo asked, "Like, I know-"

"Leo, I told you on the way over!" Luna insisted. "Torunka gave Tyler the staff when he came to the Spirit World. That's how Tyler was able to free me."

"Oh… oh, yeah…!" Leo scratched the back of his head. "So, how does it work?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. So far I've been able to blow up locks by willing the staff to." I said.

" _Cool_. Do you think you could blow _other_ stuff up too?" Leo asked eagerly.

"Uh…" I fumbled before chuckling, "I mean, probably, but I don't think I should. I might get into trouble. After all, doesn't Miss Mina work for Sector Security?"

"Yes, that's correct. I do." Mina's voice came from behind me and I twitched from surprise, turning to her. "Sorry, I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Mina Simington and I work under Director Goodwin as his secretary." She introduced.

"Tyler Nochi," I introduced myself in turn. "I, uh… I used to be a part of the Arcadia Movement, as you can see by the outfit. But that wasn't my choice, I was, uh, brainwashed."

Mina nodded. "Yes, Yusei told me all about it on the way over. And as for your weapon," Mina's eyes focused on Torunka's Staff, "I have it under authority from Director Goodwin that it may be required for helping defeat the Dark Signers, so as long as you don't use it to harm any of us, you're free to have it on your person."

I nodded. "Thank you very much, Miss Mina."

"Mina's fine." She smiled.

"A-alright, Mina. Well, thank you."

"So, what should we do to pass the time?" Leo suddenly asked. "Until Yusei wins, I mean."

"I don't know. It's probably best not to do anything. I mean, there's nothing that we _can_ really do except stay put." I shrugged.

Leo sighed. " _Alright_ …"

* * *

Mina and I spent the next while simply watching over the kids, opening up a few tins of food when the kids complained of hunger. I became preoccupied with my phone once more, mostly listening to the music and staring continually at the photo of Taze and myself.

The room started to shake, and it took me longer than it should have to realize there was an earthquake. I took my earphones out as Leo and Luna huddled together next to me, myself for some reason or another, find it harder for me to breathe. Luna's Signer Mark throbbed with a blinding red light, before it created a semi-transparent red bubble around her, Leo and myself.

"What in the-" I started.

"We should be safe now…" Luna muttered.

The bits of debris which fell down from the corners of the building harmlessly bounced off the bubble as the earthquake eventually stopped. "Wow… You _really_ are something else!" I smiled at Luna.

"Is everyone okay?" Mina asked as Luna's Signer Mark dimmed.

"Luna, your mark…" I muttered.

"The Duel's over…" she mumbled to me.

I quickly turned, grabbing my phone and Torunka's Staff as I ran out of the storeroom. "Tyler! Where are you going?" Mina asked.

"I have to go see if Yusei's okay!" I told her, "I'm sure Yusei won, but just in case this Roman guy _did_ manage to beat him, we need to be prepared. Stay with the kids!"

"W-wait!" Luna called out, "Leo and I are coming too!"

Leo doubled back. "We are?"

"Yusei's our friend, we've got to do something!" Luna yelled. I nodded, as even though there was a possibility that the twins coming with me would put them in danger, it at least meant that I'd be able to keep an eye on them.

The three of us proceeded to run out of the storeroom, down the hall, and then out of the orphanage altogether. It was strange: I didn't remember where to go or where anything was, but I seemed to find my way around. Maybe it was something that subconsciously stayed with me in spite of the brainwashing, I thought.

I noticed that the streets were barren. The only other movement besides Luna, Leo and I was the rustling of paper, cards and the odd tumbleweed. The twins and I came to an intersection, and in the center, I could see Yusei doubled over holding someone in his arms, before the person he was holding simply disappeared.

"Yusei!" Leo and Luna called out as we were joined by Jack, Akiza, Trudge, and the three kids, Taka, John and Mitch, who'd ran off.

"Where's Martha?" I asked, noticing tears brimming in his eyes.

"She's…" Yusei's voice cracked, as if the next sentence was very difficult for him to say. Yusei quickly shook his head, not even wanting to speak.

"Roman's Earthbound Immortal swallowed her…" Jack muttered.

" _What_?!" I yelled, looking back in the direction of the orphanage. Even though I couldn't remember Martha at all, she seemed very concerned when she learned of my predicament. And in the short time I'd spent around her, I could tell that she was a very kind woman who only wanted the best for others. It just wasn't fair. None of it was.

"Well…" Roman muttered, "I must say, that was interesting." I looked up at him and saw that he was now on top of a sunken building along with a few other people, who like him, were also wearing black robes and hoods. "How'd it feel, Yusei, to watch your friend Rally die one more time?"

"Now be kind, Roman…" another hooded man beside him spoke up. "After all, this is all very new to them – having to deal with death. But we'll show them the power of death soon…" he taunted.

"So you're all-" Akiza began.

"The Dark Signers?" A blue-haired, gray-eyed man asked. "That's right. And _you're_ the Black Rose Witch. Misty's told us all about _you_." he smiled before his eyes widened and he looked at me. "Tyler… Long time no see!"

"K… Kalin?" I stammered.

"I haven't forgotten what you did!" Kalin screamed. "You and Yusei abandoned me! We were a team, and then you went and stabbed me in the back!" Kalin snickered.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, but-" I began.

"Of _course_ you don't…" Kalin sighed before smiling again. "Not that it matters anymore anyway. You made your choice, and now I've made mine! This is how it has to be! So, if you wanna get the others back, I'm right here!" Kalin broke out into a shrill laugh.

Yusei got to his feet. "Alright… It's time for you Dark Signers to _pay_!" Yusei yelled.

The tall hooded man next to Roman chuckled before focusing on Luna. "Little girl. This card is supposed to be in your possession, right?" the man proceeded to hold a card in his hand, which I could just barely make out as I heard Luna gasp.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna cried.

"Ah, so you recognize it. Good," the man continued, "but if you want it back then you'll have to Duel me. And just so you know who I am…" the man proceeded to take of his hood. "My name's Devack, and I bear the Mark of the Monkey."

"Fate has finally brought us together." Roman laughed. "Signer and Dark Signer. We shall meet tomorrow at the four stars of destiny!"

"Four stars of destiny?" I asked.

"You haven't heard? You sure are a slow bunch, aren't you?" Kalin jested. "The old Momentum Control Units… After the sun sets tomorrow, the Gate to the Underworld will open and the King will rise again!" Kalin began cackling wildly once more. "So you'd better hurry, Yusei. Take too long and it'll be too late. I don't want to miss our chance to finish things."

"The end will be decided tomorrow at the Original Momentum Reactor…" Roman muttered as Kalin stopped laughing, and the group proceeded to walk off.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Yusei asked. "We're finishing this _here_!" Yusei shouted as he proceeded to run after the Dark Signers.

"Yusei, wait!" Akiza called out, but there was no response as Yusei ran into the dark fog. A few minutes later, Yusei came back.

"I lost them…" Yusei muttered.

"They said they'll be at the first reactor, right?" I asked. Yusei nodded.

"We better get back and tell the kids what happened to Martha." Trudge said.

We all nodded and began walking. I turned back and saw Jack, who eyes were fixated on where the Dark Signers were standing. "Jack? You coming?" I asked.

"I thought she was dead…" Jack muttered. "That it was my… fault…"

"Who?" I asked, "Who did you think was dead?" I repeated.

Jack looked down at the ground, breathing through clenched teeth before turning to me. "I'm gonna put these Dark Signers in their place."

"Jack…?" I asked.

"Tyler, we don't have much time. Let's head back to meet the others…" Jack said quietly, before turning back in the direction of the orphanage.

* * *

Jack and I had just got back to the orphanage, and were now witness to a lot of crying kids who had crowded around Yusei.

"I'm sorry!" Taka cried. "It's all my fault!"

"No, it's mine!" Mitch cried.

"I should've told you guys not to go. It's my fault!" John cried.

"Stop crying!" Jack shouted, slamming his fist on the doorframe. "It's not your fault, and crying about it isn't going to solve anything now!"

"Jack's right. The only people to blame are the Dark Signers." Yusei said.

"It doesn't matter, Martha's still gone!" a black-haired girl cried before bursting into tears.

"Kids, it's alright. Martha's not dead, her soul has just been absorbed by a…" I stopped, turning to Jack, "what did you say it was? A giant spider? Anyway, the point is, we still have a chance to get her back, along with everyone else." I said, trying to cheer the kids up.

"Tyler's right," Yusei began, "we're gonna defeat the Dark Signers and save everyone!"

"You can do that?!" the same girl asked, wiping away her tears.

"Yeah, we can…" Yusei murmured, before leaning down and putting his hands on two kid's shoulders. "Don't worry. My friends and I will do our best to fix everything. But what we need from all of you right now is to stay positive and take care of everyone that's still here. Can you do that for me?" Yusei asked.

"Yes we can!" all the kids cheered.

"We've got to head out to the Nazca Lines in the B.A.D. Area soon, but I promise we'll be back. We'll _all_ be back." Yusei said as the kids made their leave to another section of the orphanage, leaving Yusei and the rest of the Signers, as well as myself, time alone to focus and prepare.

"What the _Hell_ was with _that_?!" Jack barked. "Goodwin never said that if we defeat the Dark Signers that everyone they took will come back!"

"I know…" Yusei said softly.

"So why lie to the kids then?" Jack asked as Trudge grabbed Yusei by the shirt.

"We expect you to tell them the truth!" Trudge yelled.

"It's just something I just need to believe too!" Yusei said.

Jack growled before making his way over to the table, slamming his fist on it then sitting down.

"What about the kids? They deserve better than that, don't they?" Trudge asked as he hoisted Yusei into the air, Yusei not even trying to resist.

"Hey!" Leo yelled, pulling on Trudge's shirt. "Stop it, Trudge! How do you think Yusei feels about Rally and Martha?! He's trying to give the kids hope because he wants to believe that they'll come back too!"

Trudge growled, before letting go of Yusei's shirt. "To Hell with hope…" I heard him mutter.

"I'm with Yusei." Akiza piped up. "If he says we have the power to bring everyone back, then I believe him!" Akiza said, determined.

"You may be right, Akiza," Mina began, "but regardless of that fact, our primary objective is to shut down the reactor and close the door to the Underworld."

"Right." Yusei agreed. "We need to do what Goodwin told us to do."

"For the sake of those kids, you'd better hope that what you've said will happen _does_ happen." Jack sighed.

"In order to beat the Dark Signers, we'll need to split up and head for the four control units that were built to maintain the original Momentum reactor. According to the reports, those four units were the first part of the system to break when the reactor malfunctioned." Mina turned to the group. "In order to stop the flow of negative Momentum, you'll need to go to each of those control units and turn them on." Mina clarified.

"How are we supposed to turn on the control units?" Luna asked.

"The Signer Dragon cards in each of your Decks… Those were the cards which were used to power up each of the control units." Mina turned to Luna. "So Luna, it's _very_ important that you get Ancient Fairy Dragon back from Devack."

"How do you know all of this?" Yusei asked.

"Your father entrusted Director Goodwin with guarding those cards." Mina clarified.

"My father?" Yusei asked, pulling his Stardust Dragon out of his Deck.

"And they all happened to end up with us, right? How _very_ convenient… I suppose that was all part of the plan, right? If that's the case, then this whole thing is pretty much set in stone…" Jack pondered.

Mina shook her head. "If you do nothing, then the Dark Signers win. It's as simple as that. If you fight against the Dark Signers, then we have a chance. The fate of the world is in your hands…" Mina pulled out a map of the B.A.D. Area and opened it out on a table. "These are the four Control Units." she said, pointing to each one.

"So what's the plan? Just hit these up one by one?" Trudge asked.

"That would be a _huge_ waste of time!" Jack declared.

I nodded. "If we all went together, there's a very slim chance we'd be able to make the deadline. We'd make better use of our time if we each went to a different Control Unit." I said.

"Four Signers… Four Control Units…" Jack muttered. "It's a no-brainer."

"So who goes where?" Trudge asked.

"I have to settle my feud with Kalin…" Yusei muttered. "I'll head to the Giant's Control Unit."

"The Lizard is Misty's mark…" Akiza said softly. "I'll head to the Lizard's Control Unit."

"Devack has the Monkey and… I have to get Ancient Fairy Dragon back, so I'll go to the Monkey's Control Unit." Luna said.

"And I'm gonna come with so I can root for ya!" Leo cheered.

"I'll head to the Hummingbird's Control Unit…" Jack muttered.

"What about you, Tyler? Who are you gonna go with?" Yusei asked.

"I…" I stammered. It seemed like a bigger decision than it needed to be, and I already knew who I wanted… no, _had_ to go with. "It's my destiny to help Luna rescue the Ancient Fairy Dragon, so I'll go with her." I said, before turning to Luna. "I-if that's okay, Luna…"

"You bet!" Luna beamed, her face reddening.

"Would you three like a ride to your Duel in a Sector Security car?" Trudge asked. Luna nodded.

"If it's not too much trouble," Mina began, "I'll go with you, Akiza."

"Of course." Akiza nodded.

"Alright, tomorrow we save our homes!" Yusei cheered.


	11. Monkey Gone to Heaven

The sun hadn't even risen as we all stood out the front of the orphanage about to go to the Nazca Lines in the B.A.D. Area. I wiped the sleep from my eyes as I yawned. We had been fortunate enough to be able to use the rest of the previous night to try and get ourselves prepared mentally for what might happen. I myself though just needed to sleep, but I wasn't able to get much rest, mostly because I was just really stressed out. I didn't even really have a need to be stressed, although, for some reason, I was.

"Alright, kids in the back, Tyler in the passenger seat." Trudge ordered. We did as we were told and got into the car and sat in our assigned seats. It was good that I got the passenger seat: It gave me extra room for my things. See, for extra measure (and pretty sure my inherent anti-socialist nature), I bought my Duel Disk, Deck, Torunka's Staff, my phone and my earphones.

"This is it, you guys… Are you ready?" Yusei asked, turning to us in his Duel Runner gear as he sat atop his ride. Just down from him was Jack, sitting in his Duel Runner, and then Akiza and Mina in their own Sector Security car.

"Yep!" Luna nodded.

"Let's hurry this up. We've got Duels to win. Just give us a rousing speech so we can head off!" Jack snapped.

"Alright then," Yusei cleared his throat, "the Dark Signers are powerful, and now we are the _only_ things standing in their way! If you should find yourself up against a wall, just think of the rest of us! We're all in this together and even when we're apart, our Marks will always unite us!" Yusei shouted, determinedly, before turning to the road ahead of us. "Now let's go show these creeps how we Signers' do things!" Yusei revved his Duel Runner and sped off.

"If any of you loses your Duel, you'll answer to me!" Jack said before speeding off.

"Make sure you've got your seatbelts on!" Trudge instructed.

"This car doesn't seem to have any seatbelts…" I muttered.

"Hold on tight!" Trudge shouted as he revved his engine and we began our journey to the Monkey's Control Unit. We took a left turn, exiting the orphanage as we entered, for lack of a better word, the slum area of Satellite.

I watched outside as a raven perched itself on a tree in passing. Its eyes were blood-red.

"Hey…" I heard Luna say softly before Leo screamed.

"Don't _scare_ me like that, _Luna_!" Leo shouted.

"You scare me when you scream like that!" Luna protested, causing Leo to sigh.

"Everything okay?" I asked, turning around to face Leo.

"No, everything's _not_ okay! Did you see that bird? It was the creepiest thing I've ever _seen_! It was like its eyes were staring into my soul!" Leo ranted.

"You shouldn't have come with us, Leo… You're all on edge…" Luna muttered.

"D-don't worry about me!" Leo said, wiping his finger across the bottom of his nose. "I'm just pretending to be scared so that you guys don't have to be scared… Yeah, _that's_ it! I'm just pretending, see? Check it out!" Leo raved as he took out his Duel Disk.

"Why did you bring that?" Luna asked.

"I'm gearin' up! All right you Dark Signers, come out and get some!" Leo shouted.

" _I'm_ the one who's gonna be Dueling…" Luna said.

"Speaking of which," I began, "how are you feeling, Luna?"

"I'm fine." Luna nodded. "A little tired, but… I'll be fine." She smiled.

"Alright," I smiled back, "Let me know if I can do anything for you, okay?"

Luna nodded once more. "Thank you, Tyler."

Without warning, my body jolted and in a split-second, it was like I was on some weird acid trip, floating through a vortex of color. I heard a scream and I gasped as I returned to reality, finding myself back in Trudge's car, looking at the twins.

"Luna, you okay?" Leo asked worriedly.

"What was that screaming just now?" Luna panicked.

"You heard it too?" I asked.

"What screaming? I didn't hear anything!" Leo shouted.

Luna brought her hands up to the side of her head. "It was so loud and powerful… Like someone from the Spirit World was calling out to me… us…" Luna said, before looking at me.

"What did it sound like? Was it Ancient Fairy Dragon?" Leo asked.

"What's with all this Spirit World talk?" Trudge asked.

"Luna and Tyler can see and talk to Duel Monster Spirits from the Spirit World!" Leo clarified.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Trudge asked.

"No! It's _true_!" Leo argued.

"Right… And my sister can _fly_! She's got magic wings made of gold!" Trudge joked.

"Tyler, tell him!" Leo shouted.

I sighed. "Okay… First, it's impossible to fly with gold wings. They'd be too heavy." I left a pause for effect, but no one laughed. Well at least _I_ thought it was funny. Regardless, I cleared my throat. "Second, the Spirit World does exist. I've been there at least twice in the last year." I said. It was actually three times, but no one needed to know about my most recent encounter with my 'guardian'.

"You believe this crap too?" Trudge asked. "Come on. Don't encourage them."

"Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter, but think of this: The Dark Signers are trying to resurrect the King of the Underworld by opening up a portal to Hell with the power of Momentum. Don't you think that in comparison, the Spirit World doesn't seem as farfetched?" I asked, turning to Trudge.

"You're not changing my mind…" Trudge said.

"Your choice…" I sighed.

"Jerk…" Leo muttered.

"Tyler… Tyler…" a voice called. I didn't know where it was coming from. It sounded like it was all around me.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"Who are you talking to?" Trudge asked.

"It's me, Explosivo…" The voice whispered. "You need to come to the Spirit World right away…" he ordered. "The Ancient Fairy Dragon needs you…"

I immediately remembered what Mina had said, about it being important that the Ancient Fairy Dragon be saved, and I didn't need to hear anymore. I could've easily thought about it for a couple extra seconds, but there was no need: If Explosivo would keep his promise to me, then I would be able to keep my promise to Luna, and to everybody else. But most importantly, I'd be able to keep the promise I made to myself.

"Fine…" I sighed as Explosivo's voice faded. I looked to Luna and immediately noticed the expression on her face. I could tell almost straight away that she had just gotten a visit from a Duel Spirit as well. "Did you-" I began.

"Kuribon told me…" Luna murmured. "Would you… come with me?" Luna asked, desperation in her eyes. The message relayed was obviously the same.

"Of course…" I smiled.

"Thank you! I'll feel a lot better if you're by my side!" Luna smiled.

"What are you two babbling about?" Trudge asked.

"Close your eyes and take my hands." Luna said softly. I did as I was told and cupped Luna's hands in mine and closed my eyes as numbness overtook my body and Luna and I were bathed in a bright light.

I was forced to shut my eyes from the intense brightness, but once the light had faded and I had regained feeling in my body, I opened my eyes and saw that Luna and I were now back in Schwank, the same town in the Spirit World where I first met Torunka. Conveniently enough, Torunka came out from behind a barrel just as I let go of Luna's hands.

"Oh, Luna, Tyler! I've been waiting for you!" Torunka shouted, sounding relieved.

"Torunka!" Luna looked around the area, but besides the three of us, it was a practical ghost town, just as it had been the last time. "Where's Regulus?" Luna asked.

"Well, you see…" Torunka stammered. "He's, um… been captured…" he explained.

"Captured?! What could have happened?!" Luna asked anxiously.

"Right when they were about to catch me, Regulus sacrificed himself so I could get away." Torunka said.

"Don't tell me you-" Luna began.

"I'm so sorry." Torunka interrupted. "I bow my head in shame…"

"Then that means Regulus is in Zeman's Castle now, right?" Luna asked.

"I would say so, yes." Torunka sighed.

"Well then we _have_ to rescue him! There's not much time though, so we'll have to split up." Luna suggested. "I'll go with Torunka to save Regulus. Tyler, please search for Zeman."

I nodded. "When I find him, what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Beat him up! Test out your karate on him or something. You know karate, don't you, Tyler?" Torunka asked, before chopping the air in front of me. "Haiii-yah!"

"I guess. But I don't think taking a violent approach with him will work." I said.

"Tyler's right!" Luna cut in. "This is serious! The only way to win is if we all work together, okay?" Luna asked. "Don't do anything risky until we get Regulus out of harm's way." Luna said. I nodded, but Torunka didn't give any kind of notable response. "Well, at least I know I can count on _you_ Tyler." Luna said.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean…?" Torunka asked.

"Why, nothing at all, Torunka! Let's get going!" Luna said cheerfully. Luna, Torunka and I headed up the steps into town before splitting up at the fountain. Luna and Torunka began walking through the other side of town as I headed up the dank cliffside.

I had already been through the area once before, and I was actually able to remember the way, surprisingly. It didn't take me too long to reach the gate to Zeman's Castle, but what also surprised me was that the entrance to the castle seemed to be unguarded.

I put my hands to the doors and pushed them open with ease. "That's strange…" I muttered. The castle was unguarded and the gate was unlocked. I unhooked Torunka's Staff from my uniform and kept it close as I made my way inside.

Heading into the main hall, I took a second to once again admire the castle's architecture before running straight ahead, under the assumption that Zeman's throne room would be positioned at the head of the castle.

Once again, the doors opened easily to my touch, but the room I found myself in was not a throne room. Or at least it didn't look like it. For one, there was no throne. The room was also just plain weird. It was circular and had six platforms evenly arranged around the room jutting out from the walls. At the other end of the room was another door. As I approached the edge of the platform I was on, I realized that there was no other floor, and that below the platforms was a very large drop. The room itself seemed to disappear down into the darkness and I reminded myself that I had to be very careful.

Ahead of me there was a center platform with three different-colored walkways protruding out. To the left of me there was an altar with a strange symbol carved into it. I had no idea what the symbol on the altar meant but noticed that each platform seemed to have its own altar, and beside it, a Minus Staff hanging from the wall.

Nevertheless, I moved forward, taking slow cautious steps onto the green walkway and onto the center platform. Ahead from that, I noticed another walkway, this one smaller and orange. I stepped out onto the walkway, once again making slow steps until I had cleared it.

The door seemed to be bolted shut, but with one swift movement of the Staff, I was able to blast open the door, revealing another room. _This_ room however was vast and empty, aside from the center, which seemed to have a hole with white light swirling around inside it, slightly obscuring my view of what was in front of me. The hole was surrounded by columns.

"How the Hell did _you_ get in here?" a gravelly voice yelled.

I narrowed my eyes, looking through the light as what looked to be a giant monkey with maroon-colored fur dressed in a cape, wearing what looked to be a burgundy skirt partially covered by some loincloth descended from a set of steps.

"Yeah, the castle was unguarded and the doors were unlocked." I told him. "I was able to just… walk in."

The monkey growled softly. "It matters not. Just like the other Duel Spirits who revolt, you'll be dealt with."

"Okay, so I'm guessing _you're_ Zeman." I said simply. "Okay, um, I'm not a Duel Spirit. I'm a human."

"Ah, a _human_ …" Zeman mulled. "Then _your_ soul will be of even greater use to Devack."

"Devack…" I muttered, recalling that that was the name of the Dark Signer that Luna was supposed to be fighting. "You're working with him?"

"Of _course_! It was _Devack_ who sent me here to take over Schwank and imprison the Ancient Fairy Dragon. I owe a great deal to him and the King of the Underworld, and _this_ is one way that I will be able to secure my place on a much larger throne! Once the Gate to the Underworld has been opened, my army of soldiers and I will be able to fully cross over into the Human World and plunge it into darkness!" Zeman shouted.

"No way! You have to get through me first!" I shouted, tensing a little.

"Is that so?" Zeman laughed as a Minus Staff appeared in his hand. "Consider it an honor to die by my hand, human!" Zeman pointed his staff toward me before I could react, only allowing enough time for a bunch of obscenities to race through my head. In a flash of light, Zeman's staff was knocked out of his hand. "What is this? My Minus Staff…?!"

I looked around for the perpetrator of the attack, but couldn't see anyone in my immediate view. Then I felt this presence overcome me, and I looked up and saw him floating above me.

Explosivo.

"You…!" Zeman roared as Explosivo dropped down next to me.

"Thanks…" I muttered.

"I told you: through me, you would always be protected." Explosivo smiled before drawing his sword and facing Zeman. "As for you, your reign as King ends _today_!" Explosivo shouted, charging at Zeman.

Explosivo and Zeman clashed and they parried each other's blows perfectly. I was honestly amazed. It took me a little while to realize however, that I could help Explosivo instead of standing around and doing nothing like an idiot. After all, I still had Torunka's Staff.

My grip on Torunka's Staff tightened as I focused all my efforts on it, before a blue light came forth and struck Zeman in the chest, allowing Explosivo to gain the advantage for an instant. Zeman became overwhelmed and staggered back towards his throne.

"Your abilities are impressive," Zeman panted, "but it will take more than that for the both of you to defeat me!"

"Explosivo!" Regulus yelled as he charged into my view, startling me a little.

"Good timing!" Explosivo yelled. "Although I could've taken him down on my own." he smiled.

Regulus turned to me. "Tyler, please lend me Torunka's Staff!"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." I said, fumbling a bit before reaching out for Regulus to take the staff, which he latched onto with his teeth, before turning back to Zeman. "Prepare yourself!" he yelled as he charged at Zeman. Once Torunka's Staff made contact with Zeman's Minus Staff, the surrounding area became bathed in a white light.

"Tyler! Regulus!" I heard Luna yell.

"H-hey, what's happening?!" Torunka piped up.

"Honestly… I've got no idea…" I muttered.

The light faded as I saw Regulus was on top of Zeman, claws out, ready to go in for the kill, with Luna and Torunka standing next to me.

"Go, Regulus! Get him!" Luna yelled.

"You fool!" Zeman groaned, knocking Regulus to the floor, but before anything else could be done, a sword ran straight through the left side of Zeman's chest as he let out a piercing scream.

Explosivo gripped the hilt of his sword tightly in his hands as Zeman's body sporadically jerked and pulsated. A quick twist of the sword tore at more of his flesh, and blood began to flow rapidly out of the open wound and down his torso. Torunka and I cringed, whilst Luna let out a small scream, before turning and burying her face in her hands to get away from the violence. One more quick motion, the sword being pulled out of Zeman, and his body dropped to the ground, completely motionless.

Explosivo breathed heavily. "That's it…" he said.

"Tyler… can I open my eyes now?" Luna asked shakily.

"Uh… no… I think it would be best if you, um… kept them closed for the time being." I said, eyeing the blood that began to trickle down Zeman's body and create small pools around his corpse.

Regulus struggled to get back on all fours, looking wearily at Zeman's body resting beside him. As Regulus turned his gaze towards Explosivo, I felt as though there was some tension between them. As it turned out, I was right. "You…! I didn't ask for your assistance!"

"Still angry at me I see, kitty." Explosivo taunted, though the taunt was somewhat offset by his serious expression. "You would've died without my help. _Both_ of you would have." Explosivo turned his attention to me. "What were you thinking, Tyler? Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I was doing what was asked of me. What _you_ asked of me. To help the Ancient Fairy Dragon. Don't try and come off like _I_ was doing the wrong thing!" I snapped.

"You didn't have to be so overconfident. You would've died like a fool on your own. Torunka's Staff would've ended up in Zeman's possession, Regulus would've been no match for him, and all hope would be lost. But not only that, how do you think your father would feel if I let any harm come to you."

"What? You mean any more than what you've already told me?" I asked.

"Just be more careful in future, that's all I'm saying…" Explosivo sighed, putting his sword back in the sheath as he bent down to pick up Zeman's lifeless body. "Anyway, there's not much time. I'll take care of things here, but the four of you had better get moving." He explained. "Behind the throne lies the door to the stairway, and Ancient Fairy Dragon is being kept at the summit of that stairway."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course I'm sure." Explosivo smiled, "Oh, wait. You'll need Zeman's Minus Staff to free the Ancient Fairy Dragon." Explosivo handed me Zeman's Staff, while Torunka retrieved his own.

I slowly turned to Luna and saw that she still had her hands covering her eyes. I obviously didn't want her to see any more than she absolutely had to. "Luna, turn to your right. Keep your eyes closed." I instructed.

"Um… okay…" Luna murmured, doing as I'd told her.

"Okay, sweetie, you can look now." I smiled. Luna slowly moved her hands away from her face, the blood stains on the castle floor far from her view.

"Alright then, you three: hop on." Regulus urged, lowering himself to the ground. Luna kept her sight to the wall as she made her way over to us. I helped Luna onto Regulus before giving Luna Zeman's Staff so that I could get on without any difficulty. With a mad dash, Regulus charged through the door at the back room and up a flight of stairs which seemed to stretch on to no end.

"Who was that Duel Spirit before?" Luna asked.

"His name's Explosivo."

"Didn't you Summon a monster named Explosivo in your Duel with Joel?"

I nodded. "Yep. Same one. He's sorta like my guardian. Or at least that's what he told me." I explained.

"Your guardian?"

"Yeah. Apparently my dad's dead. It was in a will or something that he requested that he take care of me. So I'm thinking my dad could talk to Duel Spirits as well, but I'm not really sure. I suppose it doesn't really matter now though, does it?"

"Tyler…" Luna muttered.

Eventually, the four of us made it up the stairway and into another room. This room was much bigger, with flaming torches hung from the walls, stone tablets, which I assumed contained the spirits of Duel Monsters that Zeman had captured for Devack's cause. A stone tablet of Ancient Fairy Dragon, or what I _assumed_ to be Ancient Fairy Dragon, seemed to be the room's centerpiece, as torches with purple fire were hung near her tablet, which was around three times bigger than all of the others.

Luna, Torunka and I hopped off of Regulus. Luna gripped Zeman's Staff at the hilt. "I hope this works…" she muttered, raising the staff towards the tablet of Ancient Fairy Dragon. Instantly, Zeman's Staff began reacting, and in a flash of light, the Ancient Fairy Dragon appeared before us, the tablet behind her now blank.

I looked up, absolutely in awe of the dragon. She was quite large, towering over all of us, and of course resembling the image on the tablet, as well as the card that was in Devack's possession.

"Thanks to your efforts, I have finally returned…!" she bellowed.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna cried.

"Are you alright?" Regulus asked.

"I am indeed, Regulus. I can't thank you enough for all your help." Ancient Fairy Dragon smiled kindly.

"There is no need for such words. I was merely carrying out my duties." Regulus said.

Ancient Fairy Dragon's smile widened as she directed her gaze towards Luna. "And you, Luna, because of your strength, peace has finally returned to the Spirit World. On behalf of everyone in this land, allow me to express my gratitude. I thank you."

"You're welcome." Luna smiled. "I'm just sorry it took so long. Anyway, I couldn't have done anything at all by myself."

Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded. "Maybe so…" she muttered, focusing her eyes on Torunka and me. Once again I must state that, size-wise, she was very intimidating. That said, her smile removed any uncertainties about her from my mind. "Tyler," she cooed, "thank you so much for rescuing Luna."

I wasn't sure what to do, so I bowed. "That's quite alright, Ancient Fairy Dragon. I apologize for not getting to her sooner."

"Torunka, thank you for guiding Tyler to Luna. Without your assistance, Zeman would have continued to rule the Spirit World."

"Oh really, it was nothing!" Torunka cheered. "We're happy to help!"

"Everyone, thank you so much for all your help!" Luna piped up. "I really appreciate it!"

"Although it is yet too early to say that we have found true peace. The Human World shall face a terrible crisis. It must be averted at all costs." Ancient Fairy Dragon said.

"Yes, if we don't seal the control units quickly, the King of the Underworld will be revived!" Luna explained.

"My, that sounds… _dreadful_!" Torunka cried.

"Indeed." Ancient Fairy Dragon said somberly. "We haven't got much time until the King of the Underworld is revived. And in fact, your brother, Leo, is now battling with a Dark Signer by the name of Devack."

"What?!" I asked.

"He is?!" Luna cried.

"Yes. He is also the Dark Signer that has my card in his possession. So unfortunately, until he's defeated, I will be unable to assist you any further."

"But Ancient Fairy Dragon, does that mean then that we'll have to fight _you_?" Luna asked.

"No. Devack only has my card as a way of keeping it out of your hands, Luna. Besides, Devack, as well as the rest of the Dark Signers, use special cards."

"Special cards?" Luna asked.

"Yes, the Earthbound Immortals, which each have different, unique and powerful abilities residing within them. You must approach with extreme caution!" Ancient Fairy Dragon warned. "Devack possesses the Earthbound Immortal Cusillu, and while your brother fights hard against it, he is horribly outmatched. There is no time to lose. You must go to him posthaste!" Ancient Fairy Dragon decreed.

"Okay!" Luna said, determined. "But it's really far from the B.A.D. Area to the control units. Even if we leave now, it may be too late."

"Hey! You're not wimping out now, are you?" Torunka asked.

"No, but I just don't see how we'll be able to reach Leo in time!" Luna protested.

" _Well_ ," Torunka began smugly, "now that my magic's back, it'll be a cinch to send you right there in the Human World!"

"You can really do that?!" Luna asked, amazed.

"Well, just look at me! Aren't I just the cutest little spellcaster you've ever seen?!" Torunka asked, striking a pose.

I sighed as Luna looked at me out of the corner of her eye. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Torunka asked.

"Uh… I think this is just one of those moments where it's either laugh or cry, Torunka…" I told him.

"What?" he asked, puzzled.

"Never mind…" I muttered.

"Okay, well… Luna, Tyler, get ready!" Torunka instructed.

"Luna, Tyler. Trust in your friends, and each other, and never give up." Ancient Fairy Dragon said softly. "May the spirits protect you both…"

A white aura enveloped Luna and I as we began to float. We were pulled into a giant white bubble, and all I could see besides Luna was the white light covering the two of us. After a couple of seconds, the bubble faded, and we found ourselves standing directly towards the Monkey's Control Unit.

Purple flames were spouting out of the ground all around the area, trapping us inside. Luna and I looked around and saw Devack, along with this literally titanic black monkey behind him facing Leo, who was lying face-down and barely moving.

Luna and I rushed over to him. "Leo!" she cried, shaking Leo's shoulders lightly. "Please tell me that you're alright!" Luna begged.

"Luna…" Leo groaned, "Everything's under control…"

"Ah, so the real Signer decides to finally show up. I've been waiting for you, girl." Devack called out as he walked over to us.

"What did you do to Leo?!" Luna screamed, tears pouring from her eyes.

"We were just having a little Duel, as you can see. I was just getting ready to finish him off when you arrived." Devack smiled.

"I won't let you!" Luna shouted. "You'll have to Duel me now!"

"What a brave sister you are!" Devack jested. "As you wish." Devack powered down his Duel Disk as his monsters disappeared, before he recombined his card piles into his Deck and slotted it back into his Duel Disk. I found it a bit strange that in spite of Devack doing something in a Duel that would constitute a loss, nothing happened. Weirder still, the fire around us remained. I would even go so far as to say that the flames intensified.

"I won't let you get away with what you did to Leo!" Luna shouted as her Signer Mark lit up brightly.

"You've got it all wrong, girl… You see, he challenged _me_ … I merely accepted." Devack explained. "It's not _my_ fault the boy wanted to throw his life away! If I were you, I'd be touched that he even _went_ to such lengths, especially considering the state of him."

"Lu-Luna…" Leo groaned once more.

I clenched my fists. Leo's condition was not good to say the _least_ , and there was _no_ _way_ that I was gonna let _any_ harm come to Luna. "That's enough!" I shouted.

"Tyler?" Luna asked.

"Oh? And who's this? Another non-Signer?" Devack smirked.

I turned to Luna. "Luna, there's no way in _Hell_ I'm letting you go through with this." I told her, facing Devack once more. "Now, I'm Luna's personal bodyguard, and if you want to get to _her_ , you'll need to go through me first!" I said, walking in front of her.

"Oh, is that right?" Devack asked. "You think you'll do any better than _him_?" Devack gestured to Leo. "You could be the best Duelist in the world, but as a non-Signer fighting against me, your defeat is all but guaranteed. Still…" Devack muttered, "If you want the girl to see you die _that_ badly, I'll take both of you on together – a Tag Duel!" Devack shouted.

"Tag Duel, huh?" I mulled.

"No way!" Luna shouted, looking at me. "Leo's already in bad shape because of me, I'd never forgive myself if I let something bad happen to _you_ too!"

"I'm not letting you do this alone, Luna." I said. "I told you I'd protect you and I meant it. Look: we beat Liquid and Okita before. That was two-on-two, now it's two-on-one. We can do this. I'm not letting you face this guy alone, alright?"

Luna nodded after a moment of hesitance. I could tell by her expression that she was thankful that I was gonna be Dueling by her side, but also concerned for my safety. "Alright, Tyler, let's fight together!"

"You got it!" I smiled, activating my Duel Disk.

"Luna! Tyler!" I heard Yusei yell. I looked around, my eyes eventually zeroing in on Yusei and Trudge standing on the top of a building outside of the purple flames.

"Hey, Yusei!" I shouted, giving Yusei and Trudge a quick wave.

"You're awfully calm for someone who's about to stare into the face of death…" Devack smirked.

"Not calm. Focused," I told him, "I'm not letting _anything_ happen to Luna."

"You're gonna wish you never intervened, brat!" Devack shouted.

"Duel!"

[Tyler & Luna: 8000 LP]  
[Devack: 8000 LP]

"I'll start!" I said, making my draw. "I'll Set one card face-down and activate the Spell Card, Prohibition. Now, I declare a card name, and as long as it stays face-up, you can't play whatever card I name."

" _What_?!" Devack cried.

"Yeah, that's right. And I know _all_ about the Earthbound Immortals, so I'm going to select Earthbound Immortal Cusillu." I told him, "I'll finish my move by Summoning Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack Position!" The caped knight appeared on my side of the field, drawing his sword [ATK: 1900].

"My turn then," Devack said calmly. "I activate the Spell Card, Terraforming, which allows me to add Mausoleum of the Emperor to my hand. And… I think I'll activate another Terraforming so I can add _another_ Mausoleum of the Emperor to my hand. Next, I'll activate the Field Spell, Mausoleum of the Emperor!" Two obelisks erupted out of the ground along with a stone stairway, which made its way up to the Monkey's Control Unit. "Next, I'll activate the effect of Mausoleum, and pay two thousand Life Points to Summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest in Attack Mode!" The musclebound monkey appeared in a flash of light [ATK: 2600].

[Devack: 6000 LP]

Devack laughed. "How ironic that the Defender of the Forest shall bring about its destruction! Green Baboon, attack Breaker!" He shouted. His monster complied and rammed its fist into Breaker, sending shockwaves through my body as I was knocked into the air before plummeting to the ground.

[Tyler & Luna: 7300 LP]

"Tyler?! Are you alright?" Luna asked, running over to me and offering her hand to me.

"Damn it…" I muttered, "What the Hell _was_ that?" I grabbed Luna's hand as she helped me to my feet. "The damage… was real…"

"Of course it is, you fool!" Devack yelled. "This is a Shadow Duel. In a Shadow Duel, you feel pain unlike anything you've ever experienced. You could be killed before your Life Points hit zero!" Devack laughed. "Of course, in a Shadow Duel, death is quickly followed by rebirth."

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"If the two of you lose this Duel, you'll be reborn as Dark Signers!" Devack grinned.

Luna gasped. "N-no!"

Devack turned to me and laughed once more. "You really should have just let the Signer Duel on her own."

I slowly got up, Luna holding onto my waist to support me. "N-no way…" I said as firmly as I could, which wasn't very firm at all. I had to admit I might have been a little in over my head. The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before. Akiza's, Liquid's, and Okita's _combined_ Psychic powers couldn't hold a candle to the power of a Dark Signer, and poor _Leo_ had to face this guy all on his own.

"I'll end my turn…" Devack snickered at me as I attempted to stand on my own, successfully I might add. There were no visible signs of damage to my body, like scars, cuts or bruises, but I was feeling horribly winded.

Luna looked at me, then Leo, and then turned to face Devack. "I draw… and I summon Kuribon in Attack Mode!" Luna shouted as the little furball appeared on her field [ATK: 300]. "Next I'll place two cards face-down… Your move, Devack…" Luna murmured.

Devack smirked as he drew. "My tu-"

Luna flung her hand out. "I activate Bad Reaction to Simochi! Now all healing is reversed and turned into damage! Next, I play my Gift Card. This card would normally grant you three thousand Life Points, but thanks to Simochi, you'll now take three thousand points of _damage_ instead!"

A giant glossy card appeared on Devack's field, before promptly bursting into flames and spraying its sparks over Devack.

[Devack: 3000 LP]

"Nice work, Luna!" I complemented. "That was really well done." I smiled. Luna giggled.

"I'm going to continue with my turn now!" Devack growled. "I summon Berserk Gorilla!" Devack shouted as the red-furred, fire-breathing ape appeared on his field [ATK: 2000]. "Berserk Gorilla, attack Kuribon!" Devack shouted.

"Not so fast!" I shouted, flinging my hand out. "I activate my face-down Magical Arm Shield! This card allows me to take control of one of your other monsters and then forces you to do battle with it, I choose Green Baboon!" I said. Devack growled as Green Baboon was forced in front of Kuribon, taking the hit and reflecting the attack back at Berserk Gorilla. "Not only is Berserk Gorilla destroyed, but _you'll_ take the difference in damage as well!" I smiled as Devack was hit by shockwaves, though he seemed angrier about the fact we had pitted his monsters against each other than that he just took damage from the battle.

[Devack: 2400 LP]

"I'll end my turn…" Devack muttered.

"I draw!" I emphasized. "I'll place one card face-down and summon Rapid-Fire Magician!" I shouted as the robed man appeared as various elements appeared around him [ATK: 1600]. "Next I activate the Spell Card, Fissure! Not only is Green Baboon destroyed, but thanks to Rapid-Fire's effect, you'll also take four hundred points of damage!"

"What?!" Devack cried as one of the elements surrounding Rapid-Fire became ablaze and struck him the chest.

[Devack: 2000 LP]

"Attack! Rapid-Fire and Kuribon!" I shouted. Kuribon looked to Luna for approval, who nodded. Rapid-Fire blasted Devack in the chest a couple times, followed by a quick headbutt from Kuribon.

[Devack: 100 LP]

"I end my turn…" I muttered as Devack coughed up blood.

"You fool! You _dare_ to interfere in the War of the Titans?!" he asked. "You have _no_ _idea_ what I am capable of!" Devack shouted before coughing up more blood. " _Foolish_ _boy_!"

"Who's got more Life Points, Devack?" I asked him, even though I already knew the answer. " _We_ do. I told you that I'm not gonna let you harm Luna! And you're gonna pay for what you and Zeman did to the Spirit World."

Devack wiped the blood from his face. "You _really_ have no idea, do you? Just exactly who I am…"

"I don't care who you are, Devack. All I care about is how Luna's a Signer and she was chosen by the Ancient Fairy Dragon to defeat you."

"Well _I_ was chosen by the Earthbound Immortals to help the King of the Underworld claim his rightful place as the ruler of this world! I have shed my mortal form, fully embracing the darkness and plan that has been laid out for me since I was a member of The Scarlett Path. I will bridge the gap between this world and the next, and my brethren _will_ return!"

"I've blocked your Earthbound Immortal, Devack, and you've only got a hundred Life Points left! Take your head out of your ass! You can't win! I _won't_ let you win!" I told him.

"Let me win?" Devack asked softly. "Boy, even if you wanted to surrender right now, I wouldn't let you. I'm going to crush you and feed your soul to the King!" Devack shouted, drawing from his Deck. "I'll destroy Mausoleum of the Emperor and place another Field Spell face-down…" Devack muttered. "Next, I summon another Berserk Gorilla!" Devack called as Berserk Gorilla appeared once more [ATK: 2000]. "Berserk Gorilla… Crush and destroy! Attack Rapid-Fire Magician-"

"I activate Negate Attack!" I shouted, as my card opened out. "Not only is your monster's attack stopped, but your Battle Phase ends as well!" I told him.

"I know what the card does. All you're doing is simply delaying the inevitable." Devack smiled. "I end my turn."

"Alright, Luna, you can _do_ this!" I said, turning to her. Luna nodded as she drew.

"I'll Set one monster, switch Rapid-Fire Magician to Defense Mode [DEF: 1200] and place one card face-down. I end my turn…" Luna muttered.

Devack continued to smile. "Then I draw-"

"I activate my Trap Card!" Luna shouted, flinging her hand out. "The Paths of Destiny! Next, I chain my other face-down, Dark Cure! Now a coin is tossed and if it's heads, you'll gain two thousand Life Points. If it's tails, you'll _lose_ two thousand Life Points. Then _we'll_ toss a coin, and if it's heads, _we'll_ gain two thousand Life Points. If it's tails, we'll _lose_ two thousand Life Points."

A giant coin appeared on the field before flipping itself and landing on heads, as shown by the display on our Duel Disks.

Devack grinned. "Well look at that… I guess that means I gain two thousand Life Points now…"

"Nope!" Luna piped up. "Remember, I've got Bad Reaction to Simochi out, so all Life Points that are gained from card effects are reversed!" Luna shouted.

I couldn't help but be amazed at Luna's skill. She made it so that whatever the result of the coin toss would have been, we would have won anyway. She was absolutely _amazing_!

Devack's eyes widened as a purple aura overcame Devack and he screamed in pain.

[Devack: 0 LP]

The purple flames surrounding us faded away as Devack collapsed onto the ground, groaning. "How could I have lost…?" he whispered as the monsters on the field disappeared. Devack broke out into hysterics. "Exalted one of The Scarlett Path, I ask for your forgiveness as I complete my ascension! Roman, please forgive me for my failure!" The aura around Devack grew as he screamed once more. "Make way for the Titans! Glory to the Dark Signers!"

When the purple aura cleared, Devack was nowhere to be found and Luna's Signer Mark dimmed.

"We won…" Luna muttered, before gasping. " _Leo_?!" Luna and I turned around and saw Leo staggering to his feet.

"Y-you beat him…" Leo spoke softly, as if speaking any louder would cause him pain. " _I_ was supposed to be protecting _you_ , but you ended up saving _me_ instead…"

"No way!" Luna insisted. "I was only able to win because you were there with me!" Luna said, running up to him and hugging him.

"Really…?" Leo asked.

" _Yes_ , really! I couldn't have done it if I was by myself!" Luna assured him. "You and Tyler were _both_ here to help me!"

"W-well that's good to know!" Leo smiled before turning to me. "Thanks, Tyler."

"No problem…" I said softly, turning to Luna. "Luna, that combo you did at the end there was really impressive. You've got to teach me how you did that sometime."

"Tyler! Luna! Leo!" Yusei shouted as he and Trudge rushed over to us. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"We're _better_ than alright!" Leo psyched. "Luna and Tyler just beat one of the Dark Signers! It was _so_ awesome!" Leo cheered, before groaning and putting his hands to his chest.

"Maybe you should take it easy, Leo." Luna suggested.

"I-I'm fine, really." Leo cringed.

"We'll get you looked at later, Leo. For now, we have to go and seal the Control Unit…" Trudge muttered. Luna nodded as we all took a short walk to the Monkey's Control Unit.

I glanced at Luna as we walked. There was a _little_ part of me that was worried we wouldn't make it, so I was glad that we'd won. She'd been so brave to face Devack and I was _so_ proud of her. The light from the sun finally broke through the haze and dust of the cold morning as our feet pressed to the cracked, dry ground where the Monkey's Control Unit stood.

"This is like a total happy ending moment!" Leo cheered.

"Except it's not the end yet…" Luna muttered.

"Luna…!" a voice bellowed. We all looked and saw Ancient Fairy Dragon floating in the sky above us, along with Regulus.

"Where did those things come from?" Trudge asked. "Is there a laser light-show goin' on?"

"No, Tetsu Trudge," Ancient Fairy Dragon began, "we are not illusions. We are real."

Trudge flipped out. "Did that thing just talk _back_ to me?" he asked, before promptly fainting.

"Grownups are so weird…" Leo murmured as we turned back to the two spirits.

"Luna… Tyler… I thought you should know… By defeating the Dark Signer, you have saved us all. The spirits captured by Zeman's Minus Curse and Devack's Earthbound Immortal are free now, and they have returned home to the Spirit World…" Ancient Fairy Dragon explained. "All thanks to you two."

"Actually," Luna began. "It isn't _all_ thanks to us. I wouldn't have been able to face Devack even _with_ Tyler if it weren't for Leo's help. He set up Devack so Tyler and I could finish him off." Luna smiled as she turned to Leo. "And Yusei stuck by Leo's side the whole time." Luna added, facing Yusei.

"Well then, I offer my thanks to all of you." Ancient Fairy Dragon said softly.

"Our fight with the Dark Signers isn't over. Will you help us?" Yusei asked.

Ancient Fairy Dragon nodded. "The Dark Signers are like a disease. If they are not vanquished completely, their power will continue to fester, and the Spirit World will once again be in danger. We must finish this! I will fight alongside you, even if it costs me my life!" Ancient Fairy Dragon said.

"I, too, will fight alongside you, until the bitter end!" Regulus added.

Ancient Fairy Dragon and Regulus were covered in a bright light, before disappearing. A Regulus card and an Ancient Fairy Dragon card appeared in Luna's hands.

"We did it, Tyler!" Luna cheered. "We saved the Ancient Fairy Dragon!"

"We sure did!" I smiled. "Now all we have to do is seal the control unit."

"Right. The Monkey Control Unit is just up ahead…" Yusei muttered as we walked towards it. Yusei ran his hand along the side of one of the doors and it opened.

"So is this one of the control towers that Mina was talking about? The ones that like, controls the Momentum reactor thing?" Luna asked.

"Yup. This is it…" Yusei muttered as we all went inside the control unit. It was a very small room, certainly looked bigger on the outside. The walls were lined with various colors and patches. It was like one giant computer chip. In the middle of the room was a pillar and an image of Cusillu engraved into it. There was a space in the middle for a control card, which I presumed was Ancient Fairy Dragon.

"Luna, do you have the card ready?" Yusei asked. Luna nodded and walked forward.

"Here goes everything, I guess…" Luna muttered as she gently slotted the Ancient Fairy Dragon card in place.

The central pillar lit up before the whole control unit began shaking. "I have a feeling we might wanna run right now…" Yusei said as Luna grabbed the card back and we all ran out of the control unit.

We all turned back and saw the Monkey's Control Unit begin to sink into the ground. "Where's it going?" Leo asked. The four of us watched as the control unit receded into the ground further and further until it was as if it was never there to begin with. Even the ground itself seemed to force itself back into place, presenting the appearance of the ground being untouched.

"It's okay, everyone… I'm fine…" Trudge groaned, getting to his feet. "Hey, uh… Where'd the tower go? There _was_ a tower here, right?" Trudge asked.

"I didn't see any tower!" Leo lied.

Trudge plonked himself on the ground before sighing. "I need some sleep… I keep seeing things that aren't there. Towers, dragons, flying lions…"

Leo and Luna broke into laughter and I smiled. I put a hand to her shoulder and looked down at her. "Hey, Luna, we _won_." I reaffirmed.

Luna nodded and smiled back at me. "Yeah." She said.

"It's not over yet," Yusei told us, "there are still _three_ towers left… And the next one's mine!" Yusei said, clenching his fists. "Time for me to settle things with my old friend, Kalin…"


	12. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Trudge's patrol car kept pace with Yusei's Duel Runner as the four of us raced through the Satellite, heading towards the Giant's Control Unit where Kalin Kessler, an old friend and teammate of Yusei and me, was supposedly waiting for him.

I actually thought when I first saw Yusei and Trudge together that Yusei had already defeated Kalin. He did, after all, go off in a completely different direction to us when we left the orphanage, and I wasn't quite sure whether the time spent in the Spirit World was the same amount of time spent in the Human World, if that makes sense. I assumed that Yusei came back for whatever reason and well, that's where we were.

To be honest though, I wasn't quite sure what else Luna and I could do to help. I mean, we defeated Devack and sealed the Monkey's Control Unit, but aside from that, there wasn't much else we could do except, as Leo had said, stand on the sidelines and offer encouragement.

I wanted to take a moment just to relax really, and focus on the fact that we'd won, but we had to keep going.

The sound of crackling fire quickly overtook the sound of both Yusei and Trudge's motors before a purple fire burst forth in the sky, appearing amongst the thick black clouds. It was similar to Devack's Dark Signer Mark, but it was a different animal entirely. Luna gasped.

"What's that?" Leo asked.

"It looks like a killer whale." Yusei said.

"I don't remember Mina mentioning any Dark Signers that have a Whale Mark." Trudge said.

"So what does that mean?" I asked. "If there's another Dark Signer Mark, would that mean there's a fifth control unit too?"

"There can't be." Yusei said. "There's four control units, plus the reactor. There's four Signers, plus the mysterious fifth Signer. That evens it out. Unless… unless they managed to turn someone _new_ into a Dark Signer!" Yusei hypothesized.

"Something isn't right here! My mark isn't glowing!" Luna panicked.

"That must mean that whoever's battling isn't a Signer, right?" Leo asked.

"We have to hurry!" Yusei revved his Duel Runner, changing direction to where the Whale Mark was directly above. Trudge followed suit, but the patrol car struggled to keep up with Yusei's Duel Runner.

I noticed that as we went further towards the projection of the Whale Mark, the worse the terrain got. The patrol car began to slide about, and to be honest, I was a little bit uncomfortable about the way Trudge was driving. I mean, I thought he'd slow down a little if the car couldn't handle the terrain, but he was going faster. I didn't want to say anything, 'cause Trudge was probably doing the best he could given the circumstances, but still.

"What's going on?!" Leo yelled.

"The wheels aren't built for this type of road!" Trudge explained. "Everyone hold on!" Trudge ordered. Just as Trudge was about to increase his speed, Yusei relaxed his speed and cut in front of us. "Yusei?! What the _Hell_ are you doing?"

"You guys stay back while I check things out. It's too dangerous!" Yusei said.

"No way!" Trudge denied as Luna popped her head between Trudge's and my seat.

"We can't leave you, Yusei! What if something happens? We don't even know who this new Dark Signer is! And what if they have another Earthbound Immortal?" Luna protested.

Leo leaned over my seat. "Yeah! I thought we were like the Three Musketeers!" Leo added.

"What about me?" I asked. "I'm sitting in the front."

Leo sighed. "Whatever. The point is we won't let you go solo!"

"No. You guys have played your part. I'm going alone!" Yusei asserted.

"Yusei, it's okay. If things become too dangerous, my Signer Mark will protect us. As long as I stay with Leo, Tyler and Trudge, we'll all be fine." Luna explained.

"Alright, fine." Yusei nodded. "But I'll go on ahead and scout out the Duel. Follow me later." Yusei said as he increased his speed once more and shot off.

Trudge brought his speed down a bit and turned to me. "Has your phone got a GPS?" he asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure," I told him. "Hold on." I fiddled with the phone and got into the GPS, "What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Plot a course for the Giant's Control Unit which takes into account terrain types." Trudge ordered.

"The control unit?" I asked. "What about Yusei?"

"We're not gonna head there just yet, but if this detour takes too long we're gonna need a direct route to the control unit."

I nodded and did as I was asked (to the best of my ability), fiddling with the phone a bit more. I turned to the twins. "Safest way or quickest way?" I asked.

"Uh… Safest please, Tyler…" Luna muttered. Leo nodded.

"Okay…" I fiddled with the phone once more. "Alright, it's ready. It looks like if we actually turn off left from this road and keep going forward, we'll get to the Whale Mark in the sky, _and_ the Giant's Control Unit." Trudge nodded and turned off the central road, the car jerking a little. "Awesome, okay. Keep going straight. We should…" I stopped and looked in awe as there were no houses around the surrounding area anymore, just more purple fire. "I was gonna say the path Yusei went on, but it's just fire…" I said sheepishly.

" _This_ is the safest way?! We're right up close to this thing! If we touch it, we're dead! If _this_ is _safe_ , what's the quickest way?" Leo asked.

"The quickest way would be going _in_ the fire and getting burned to death…" I said.

"Ah," Leo acknowledged, "so Yusei went this way then?" Leo asked.

"I hope so. If he's not here, he's either dead or in-between the fire following whoever's Dueling…" I muttered.

"Oh man, we just _gotta_ find Yusei!" Leo yelled.

"Well, at least the fire means we're on the right track…" Trudge murmured.

"Yusei, please be okay…" I heard Luna mutter.

"I'd be more worried about _us_ being okay with Trudge's driving!" Leo ranted.

"Don't worry, Luna. Yusei will be fine." I assured her. "I'm more concerned about who this new Dark Signer could be, and who's fighting them."

" _Look_!" Trudge shouted, pointing to a flying purple whale with fire spewing out of its underbelly. The whale itself was massive, but seemed to be falling slowly from the sky.

"Could that be an Earthbound Immortal?" Luna asked.

"If that's an Earthbound Immortal… where's the Dark Signer and their opponent?" I asked, overriding Luna's question.

"And where's _Yusei_?!" Leo panicked.

"Okay!" I shouted, slamming my hand on the side of the car before climbing over my seat and joining Luna and Leo in the back. "Screw safety! Floor it, Trudge!"

"What?!" Luna asked, worried. "But there aren't any _seatbelts_! What if we crash?" Luna shouted. In response, I wrapped an arm around each of the twins' shoulders to keep them from injuring themselves. Then I planted my feet against the bottoms of Trudge's seat and the passenger seat.

"How's that?" I smiled. Luna blushed, but it quickly faded as Trudge pushed the patrol car to its maximum speed.

For about twenty minutes or so we continued alongside the wall of purple fire, when all of a sudden, the fire faded. Trudge slowed the car right down. "Does that mean the Duel's over?" Leo asked.

"That same fire disappeared when you three beat Devack. So I guess it would." Trudge said.

"See?" I asked, turning to Luna, "We didn't crash. Everything's fine." I assured her.

Up in the distance, I could see two figures standing next to two Duel Runners alongside a pile of rubble. As we got closer, I could make one of them out to be Yusei, and the other to be a short young man with spiky orange hair. Trudge pulled the patrol car to a stop just across from them. I let go of the twins and they got out of the car, running over to Yusei. "Yusei!" the twins called out.

Trudge threw the car into park, and he and I got out of the car, slowly walking over to them.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Luna asked.

"I'm fine," Yusei smiled, "my friend Crow just beat the Dark Signer in a Shadow Duel."

"Who was the new Dark Signer?" Luna asked.

Yusei looked down at the floor. "Greiger…" he muttered.

"Greiger?!" Leo shouted. "As in _the_ Greiger, who I Dueled at the Fortune Cup?!" Leo asked. I stayed quiet, not knowing who they were talking about.

"Yeah…" Yusei muttered, "Greiger said he became a Dark Signer to defeat Goodwin because he destroyed his village, but it was the Dark Signers who destroyed his village." Yusei explained.

"We couldn't save him…" the other guy muttered.

"Sorry, I forgot." Yusei began. "Crow, this is Leo and Luna. Luna's a Signer like Jack and me. Leo's her twin brother."

"Nice to meet ya!" Crow smiled. "Any friend of Yusei is a friend of…" Crow stopped as eyes met mine. "Oh, hey! Is that you, Tyler?!"

"Yeah, it is…" I muttered, "hi…" I looked to Yusei for recognition, who nodded, "Crow…"

"Where've you been? I've been worried about ya!" Crow asked. "Kalin got caught, and then you went missing… I didn't know _what_ was goin' on!" Crow vented.

"Tyler was kidnapped and brainwashed by those Arcadia Movement guys. He lost his memory in the process." Yusei intervened.

"What? No way! Looks like we gotta go take care of some business then!" Crow clenched his fists.

"The Arcadia Movement headquarters is gone now… It was obliterated the other day thanks to the Dark Signers. Whatever surviving members the Arcadia Movement might have, they're all over the place. But their leader, Sayer, was killed the other day, so even if there are some fanatics who worked under him, I doubt they'd want to make themselves known. I think it's safe to say the Arcadia Movement is finished."

"I see… so that must've been what all the fuss was about a while back…" Crow murmured, "Oh well, if it's not there anymore then there's not really anything we can do."

I scratched the back of my head. "Sorry I don't remember much about you… I knew your name and what you looked like, but that's about it."

"That doesn't matter. At least you're safe. Annie and Itsuki were worried sick about ya." Crow sighed.

"I don't know who either of those people are…" I muttered.

"Right! The memory thing! Uh…" Crow trailed off. "Long story short, you used to help me look after a couple of kids in the Satellite. Oh, yeah! That reminds me! Your Duel Runner is still right where you left it! I kept it runnin' for ya! After this whole thing with the Dark Signers is over, we can go back and get it!"

"Sounds good…" I smiled.

"Crow," Yusei began. "Kalin's still alive."

"What? I thought he died in the Facility!" Crow shouted.

"He did, but now he's back. He was resurrected as a Dark Signer, and he wants revenge on me. He still thinks that we betrayed him." Yusei explained.

"What? Still?!" Crow gasped. "Did you try to tell him-"

"I did, the first time we Dueled. His Deck is totally different now, and like Greiger, he too has an Earthbound Immortal in his Deck."

"So could he have been responsible for what happened to everyone else in Satellite?" Crow asked.

"Possibly. It's hard to say, but collectively, the Dark Signers together are to blame. They want to destroy the Satellite _and_ New Domino City, and it's up to us to stop them."

Crow nodded. "Well, I might not be a Signer, but there's no way I'm gonna let some evil creeps destroy our home! Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it!"

"Well, unfortunately, there's not much you _can_ do. The battle against the Dark Signers is something that only us Signers can really take part in. You were lucky to win against Greiger. But then again," Yusei turned to me, "you and Luna won against Devack."

"Yeah," I shrugged, "but _that_ was mostly Luna."

"Was not!" Luna insisted.

"Was _too_!" I teased, "You did that epic combo that won the game for us!"

"Anyway, Kalin told us that if by sunset today we haven't defeated them all and reactivated all four of the Momentum Control Units, then the King of the Underworld will rise and plunge the world into darkness." Yusei explained.

"Are you _serious_?" Crow asked in disbelief.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. The whole reason Goodwin organized the Fortune Cup was so that he could get all the Signers together and test out our powers. He spouted off all this stuff about fate and destiny, and while I don't know about that, I _do_ know that if there's a chance that I can save Satellite and New Domino City, as well as unite them, then I'll do whatever it takes."

"Wait… unite the Satellite and New Domino?"

"Yeah, Goodwin promised me that if we take care of the Dark Signers, then he'll recommission the construction of the Daedalus Bridge. The people of the Satellite have a right to be free, and I'm hoping that Goodwin will keep his promise." Yusei looked off into the distance. "Of course, none of that means anything if I can't defeat the Dark Signers."

"Hmm… So is that where you were going? To Duel Kalin?" Crow asked.

"Yes. He's waiting for me at the Giant's Control Unit." Yusei said, walking back over to his Duel Runner and getting on. "Are you coming along?" Yusei asked Crow.

"Of course! I may not have any business with the Dark Signers, but any business you have with Kalin is mine too!" Crow told him. Yusei nodded before revving his Duel Runner and racing off towards the Giant's Control Unit. "Let's ride!" Crow shouted as he got onto his Duel Runner and revved it twice.

"Everyone back in the car!" Trudge ordered as Crow followed after Yusei on his Duel Runner.

I got back into the passenger seat and sighed. Leo and Luna got into the back seats, and without any recognition from anyone, Trudge revved the engine of the patrol car and came to meet Crow as he decreased to a slower speed behind Yusei.

Looking at Yusei and Crow riding ahead of me, I couldn't help but think how cool Yusei, Jack and Crow had been about my amnesia. After all, Joel's immediate reaction to finding out I had amnesia was pretty much the polar opposite of what Yusei, Jack and Crow's was. It was just so… so _awesome_ how accepting they were of me, especially when they didn't have to be.

"Do you think Yusei's gonna be okay fighting an old friend?" Luna asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, Yusei's gonna be fine. Old friend or not, Kalin's a Dark Signer now, and Yusei's gonna beat him _easy_!" Leo grinned.

"Well, as Yusei said, he faced Kalin before and almost died. I suspect that was because Kalin and Yusei were both going easy on each other. Now they're going all-out, in a Shadow Duel no less. I have no doubt that Yusei will be able to win, but it's gonna be a close one, that's for sure."

"Guys, look!" Crow shouted as I saw the Giant's Control Unit peeking its way into my view, along with Yusei's and Kalin's Duel Runners. "Follow me!" Crow took a sharp turn before proceeding up a bend. Trudge followed in pursuit until Crow skidded to a stop.

I noticed we were now on higher ground from where Yusei and Kalin were, which was probably a good thing. After all, I didn't want to get caught by the purple hellfire that was sure to make its presence known once the Duel started. The bad thing was that this took us a fair way away from the Giant's Control Unit. I could hardly see a thing.

The twins and I got out of the patrol car and walked to the edge of the railing, Leo cupping his hands around his eyes. "Um… does anyone have a pair of binoculars?" Leo asked.

"I can use my phone's camera to zoom in, but…" I looked back at the patrol car, where it was still plugged into. "It's all the way over there and I can't be-" I was about to swear, when I paused. "-bothered." I grinned, happy that I was able to stop myself from swearing. At the same time though, I urged myself to be more careful regarding my language around the twins.

All of a sudden, purple hellfire (as I expected) rose up from the depths of the Earth which ended up creating a weird pattern when viewed from my position. I guessed it was some kind of animal, as Misty's and Devack's both were, but the fiery pattern didn't really have any key characteristics, at least from where we was standing. I'm sure if I were to look at it from above, I'd probably be able to discern just exactly what it was. From where I was though, I wasn't having any luck.

"The Shadow Duel's about to start…" Crow muttered as Luna's Signer Mark lit up. "I know Kalin was once our friend, our brother, but don't let your feelings of the past get in the way of this Duel."

I turned to Crow. "Um, Crow?" I asked, Crow turning to me.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Um… I was wondering if you could tell me about…" I paused, sighing, "What happened in Team Satisfaction to make Kalin angry at us…"

"Ah, well you know the name 'Team Satisfaction'. What's Yusei told you so far?"

"That it's a Duel Gang that I was a part of in the Satellite, and we succeeded in defeating all the other Duel Gangs in Satellite."

Crow nodded. "That's pretty much the short of it. The five of us were like brothers, we had each other's backs no matter what. We wanted nothing more than to make the Satellite a better place to live. See, like Yusei, you came from New Domino City, but even in spite of that, Kalin thought that getting _out_ of the Satellite was impossible. That's how it all started for us. Anyway, the Satellite was divided up into different sectors, and each one had a Duel Gang that basically ruled them. There was a ton of 'em – way too many to name off the top o' my head, but the big ones were The Magician's Four, Team Golem, Team Insect, Team Black 'n' Blue, Team Dirty Works, and Team Non-Securities. Team Non-Securities was the biggest Duel Gang in the Satellite, and it was actually their idea to try and unify the Duel Gangs in Satellite. But at a meeting with a bunch of other Duel Gangs on the other side of Satellite, the leader of Team Non-Securities, Rivera, was killed, and that basically left a massive power vacuum with all the different Duel Gangs vying for turf. The five of us managed to take down all of the Duel Gangs and unite Satellite for ourselves. Heck, you even saved Yusei's life a couple times in the process."

"I _did_?" I asked.

"Yep. Yusei almost got buried under rubble during the turf battle with Team Dirty Works. He would have died if you hadn't have pushed him out the way. Then there was the turf battle with Team Non-Securities – our last turf battle – where you held off their new leader, Gushizawa, while Kalin rescued Yusei from falling to his death."

"Wow! Tyler, you're, like, a hero!" Leo cheered, his praise making me blush.

"N-no, I…" I fumbled over my words, shaking my head. "Crow, that all sounds… that all sounds great. I mean, not the parts about Yusei dying, the parts where we worked together to take down the other Duel Gangs. What happened?"

Crow turned away to face the Giant's Control Unit, where Kalin and Yusei squared off. "It was a few days after we conquered Satellite. You told us how you woke up to find Kalin outside the front of our hideout, bullying a kid for not being a good enough Duelist. You tried to break up the fight, and when you couldn't, you came inside to get us. When we came out again, Kalin had broken the kid's Duel Disk and was about to step on the kid's head. You had this absolutely horrified look on your face, and I tackled Kalin to the ground and Yusei told the kid to leave. Yusei and Jack broke us up, but in that moment… I realized how far we'd strayed from our ideals. I couldn't bear to be around Kalin anymore, so I left the team. You and Jack followed suit, so only Yusei and Kalin remained on the team. You came back with me to look after the kids, and then the day after that, Annie told us that Kalin had barricaded himself in Team Black 'n' Blue's old hideout, and that he planned on taking down Sector Security all by himself."

"Take down Sector Security?!" Trudge seemed almost horrified. "That's impossible!"

"Hey, you don't need to tell _me_ that, officer. Tyler and I only went down there to try and talk him out of it, but when we arrived…" Crow stopped.

"Crow, what…?" I asked softly.

"Kalin, he… he was standing over an officer… he'd killed him…" Crow muttered, clearly pained.

My eyes widened, and I heard the twins gasp. "He _didn't_ …!"

Crow sighed. "He did." Crow noticed my expression and smiled weakly at me. "Good to know you feel the same way now as you did then. You and I, we couldn't believe that Kalin had done something so unthinkable as to take another person's life. Dueling was supposed to be fun! It was what brought us together, but Kalin…" Crow shook his head. "Yusei said that Kalin died in the Facility, but to me, the Kalin _I_ knew died right then and there…"

Trudge growled, also turning to the Giant's Control Unit. "That Satellite scum… if Yusei doesn't beat him, I'll make sure Kalin's arrested again."

"So what happened?" I asked, "Did we manage to talk some sense into Kalin?"

Crow shook his head. "For a moment, I thought we did. We got him to leave Team Black and Blue's hideout and come back to ours, but members of Sector Security had followed us and had us surrounded. They wanted to arrest Kalin for murdering that officer. Yusei told us that he had a plan, and told us to try and escape. He told you that he was going to take the fall for Kalin, admit that he was the leader of Team Satisfaction _and_ the one who killed that officer. Unfortunately, while escaping the hideout, Kalin just snapped and blew our cover, tried fighting one of the Sector Security officers. He was restrained, arrested for murder and taken to the Facility…"

"Damn…" I whispered.

"I know…" Crow trailed off. "When Kalin saw Yusei and you come out of the hideout with a member of Sector Security, he assumed that you'd set him up to get arrested, and was dragged away kicking and screaming. You, Yusei, Jack and I were sentenced to community service down at the plant, and Team Satisfaction was disbanded. In fact, the whole thing with Kalin pretty much marked the end of Duel Gangs ruling over Satellite."

"So that's why Kalin was angry at me too? Because I was with Yusei and he thought I'd set him up?"

"That's right."

Crow's explanation of what had happened in the past left me feeling physically drained, almost to the point of being sick. For someone to have such a complete disregard for human life that they'd deliberate harm a child or even kill another person in cold blood… it just made me feel so… so dirty.

And now Kalin was trying to kill someone again – this time Yusei, a person who used to be one of his best friends.

_You made your choice, and now I've made mine! This is how it has to be!_

"I don't feel too good…" I found myself saying, my legs starting to shake. "W-w-would I be able to head back to the car and lie down for a bit?" I asked.

Trudge nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you…" I smiled weakly, slowly moving back over to the patrol car, opening the door to the passenger seat and getting in, moving the seat back so I could lie down.

I swallowed, lying back as I tried to push Yusei's Duel with Kalin out of my head.

Everything was just so weird. I'd had visions, brief memories of moments in the Satellite, but as for what Yusei, Jack and Crow had told me, even though I believed them. I just couldn't relate to it. And Kalin… all I really remember about him was a brief conversation about Duel Runners. And then with Joel, and the photograph of Taze, I was just finding it so difficult to place it all.

I could tell that with how young I was in my two memories of Taze that everything there happened first, and that everything with Yusei, Jack, Crow and Kalin came later, but I had no idea how much time had passed in-between them or since then.

"Tyler…"

I sat up, turning quickly to see Luna standing on the other side of the car door.

"Luna… um… what's up?" I asked.

"Is everything okay?"

I lied back down. "I… I don't know… I think I'm as good as I _can_ be, considering the circumstances. I'm just finding it difficult to have everything come together in my head." I turned to Luna, "It's nothing you need to worry about though."

Luna smiled at me, opening the door to the back seat and sliding in so she was adjacent to me. "Tyler, we're… we're friends aren't we?" she asked. I nodded. "And friends help each other, right?" Once again, I nodded. "Well then, tell me what I can do to help you… tell me how you're feeling…"

I sighed. "I'm… I'm relieved that we were able to defeat Devack and that you're okay. I'm thrilled to have found another friend that remembers me and _wants_ to be my friend. But it's just hard keeping track of everything. And with what Crow said about Kalin… part of me wonders if… if I might have done something to encourage him or… if I was like that too…"

"Tyler, you're not a monster-"

"You don't know that though. _I_ don't know that." I sighed once more, "I just wish I knew more about myself, that's all. I mean, I'm sure Yusei and Crow wouldn't lie to me, but… I'd just like to know for myself, and not have to go by what people tell me. I know what I have to deal with is _nothing_ compared to you and Yusei and everyone else, but still…"

Luna leaned over to look at me face to face. "Tyler, I can't promise that we'll be able to get your memories back, or even if they'll ever come back at all, but no matter what happens, I'll stick by you." Luna leaned a little closer, whispering. "And anyway, I don't think an evil person would have been asked to save Ancient Fairy Dragon or help me defeat Devack."

I felt my face heat up just a little as I smiled. "You know, you don't act your age at all." I told her, before realizing that what I'd said could have come across as an insult. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant… you're really mature and you've got your head screwed on."

Luna giggled. "Well I kind of have to." She said, looking over at Leo.

"And thanks, Luna." I continued to smile. "I don't think I asked you though. How are you feeling after our Duel with Devack?"

"I'm a little tired, to be honest, but I'll be okay. I'm just glad I was able to free Ancient Fairy Dragon and save the Spirit World."

I nodded. "It's probably selfish of me, but I would have liked to take you back home so you could rest. I'm not sure there's any more that either of us can do. Like, sure, we can be there for and support Yusei and the others, but… I sort of get what Leo was saying before."

I sat up in my seat as the area was bathed in a blue light. Luna's Signer Mark lit up as Crow, Leo and Trudge rushed from where they were standing over to the car, a red bubble materializing over the five of us.

My eyes widened as a giant creature of black and blue rose up from the ground. It was huge. No. Huge was an understatement.

"What _is_ that?!" Trudge asked.

"Kalin's Earthbound Immortal." Luna said knowingly. I felt myself starting to shake. Even from where we were, supposedly safe from harm, Kalin's Earthbound Immortal literally towered over all of us. I'm sure if Kalin wanted to, he could make his Earthbound Immortal reach over and crush us.

"Shit…" I muttered, immediately kicking myself for letting out another swear.

"If Yusei gets attacked by that thing, he'll die for sure…" Trudge added.

"No way! Yusei can still win this!" Crow assured.

"Leo only just narrowly avoided getting killed by Devack's Immortal. I'm sure Tyler and Luna would've been handed the same fate if Cusillu hadn't been blocked." Trudge said, turning to him.

"That _is_ why I used it." I stated to Trudge.

"Why are you so negative?" Leo asked.

"Look!" Luna tugged on my sleeve before pointing out to the Duel field, which was now bathed in a bright light. A pillar of light exploded forth from the ground, rising even higher than Kalin's Earthbound Immortal as a great dragon with jewels embedded in its skin rose up and gave a threatening roar.

"Wow…" Leo muttered, amazed.

"It's so pretty!" Luna exclaimed.

"Is that Yusei's monster?" I asked.

"I think so," Crow began, "we were watching the Duel before on my Runner's monitor."

We all as light began to emanate out of Kalin's Earthbound Immortal and Yusei's dragon began to absorb it, before charging into the Immortal.

The entire field was bathed in a white light as the bubble from Luna's Signer Mark shimmered before disappearing. When the light faded, and even though he was so far away, I could hear Yusei shout "Kalin! You're my friend! And for you, I'll defeat the Dark Signers!"

Crow, Leo and Trudge moved back over to Crow's Duel Runner, Luna and I wearily getting out of the car and following them. I saw that the purple hellfire had disappeared, and watched in the distance as Yusei walked over to, and then went inside, the Giant's Control Unit. My heart stayed in my throat until Yusei ran out of the Control Unit, the structure beginning to disappear into the ground until, just like with the Monkey's Control Unit, it was as if it was never there in the first place. Leo and Luna waved to Yusei. "Yusei! That was _awesome_!" Leo cheered.

"I'm so proud of you!" Luna added. Yusei began walking back towards his Duel Runner before getting on it and backtracking to where we were.

"Nice job, Yusei!" Crow encouraged as Yusei stopped beside us, took off his helmet and walked over to us. "So, hey… uh… is that _your_ doing?" Crow asked, pointing out towards where the Giant's Control Unit used to be. It was difficult for me to see, but some people were now standing in and amongst the wreckage that weren't at all there before when Yusei was Dueling Kalin. At least for the few brief moments I was observing.

"Who are they?" Trudge asked.

"They could be…" Crow pondered, "Of course! By defeating Kalin's Earthbound Immortal, you freed all the souls of the people who were trapped inside of it!"

"So then, there's hope for all the others, right?" Leo asked, turning to Luna who smiled.

"Yeah!" she nodded.

"You did it, Yusei!" Crow cheered as his fist bumped Yusei's lightly. My eyes widened as I was brought into another vision. It was a brief one: the other kid with orange hair, Taze, I think, bumped fists with a younger-looking version of me and-

"Tyler!" Leo shouted, waving his hand in front of my face, breaking me out of my vision. "You okay?" he asked.

I shook my head to dismiss the visions. "Y-yeah… Would we be able to take a little break or something?" I asked.

Yusei shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't think we have any time to waste. With the Gate to the Underworld still open, we need to get to the other two Control Units as quickly as possible. And even though Kalin and Devack are out of the picture, there's still three Dark Signers remaining."

"I guess you're right…" I murmured, "But… I mean, Jack and Akiza can take on two of them, can't they? Like, isn't that the reason why we split up in the first place?"

"Hey, what's with Tetsu?!" Crow asked. We all looked towards Trudge, who was now standing limp, his eyes a pale white. A purple mark, not unlike Devack's Dark Signer Mark, appeared on Trudge's right arm.

"Everyone, get back!" Yusei shouted. Luna and Leo ran behind me, hugging my arms tightly as Crow staggered back.

"Wh-what's going on?" Crow asked.

"Trudge…?" Yusei asked hesitantly.

Trudge looked towards us. "I'm sorry…" Trudge spoke, but Roman's voice came out of his mouth. "Tetsu Trudge isn't here right now."

"Roman!" Yusei growled.

"Congratulations on defeating Kalin, Yusei. It must have been hard for you to kill your old friend. But enough of that… _I_ think it's time that _you_ and _I_ Dueled each other, Yusei." Trudge's face turned all twisted and warped, causing Luna to let out a light scream as both she and Leo tightened their grip on my arms. "If you're brave enough to face me, come to the site of the Original Momentum Reactor. I'll be waiting."

"What?" Yusei asked as the mark on Trudge's arm disappeared and his facial expression returned to normal. A little spider ran down Trudge's arm before jumping off and scurrying across the floor. Before it could move any more, I squished it under my boot.

"You two okay?" I asked, turning back to the kids.

"N-n-never better…" Leo stammered.

"What… what happened…? What's everyone looking at…?" Trudge asked, his normal voice coming out of his mouth. Leo and Luna gently let go of my arms as I walked over to Trudge, eyeing him suspiciously. "Uh… What are you doing?"

"Just checking you're you…" I mumbled.

"So are you gonna go?" Crow asked Yusei as I turned back to them. "It could be a trap."

"Of course it's a trap, but… I'm gonna have to face Roman again sooner or later. And besides, the quicker I defeat his Earthbound Immortal, the quicker that Rally and Martha and all the other missing people will come back." Yusei said.

"Hold up, Yusei." I interjected. "You only just finished battling Kalin, are you sure you're up for this?" I asked. It was a fair question. After all, as Luna told me, she was still feeling a little worn from her Duel with Devack, so for Yusei to rush right back into another Shadow Duel… Well, it just didn't seem like the best idea to me.

"Tyler, I've never been surer of anything in my life!" Yusei said, clenching his fists.

"But Yusei-"

"I promised Rally and Kalin and everybody that I would defeat the Dark Signers. I _can't_ let them down! I can't let the people of the Satellite down! It's time… I need to go settle things with Roman…"


	13. Spiders

Trudge's patrol car sped along the now semi-populated streets of Satellite as we headed towards the site of the Original Momentum Reactor, where Yusei was to have his rematch with Roman.

The terrain this time around was a lot easier on the wheels of the patrol car, and Trudge was keeping the speed of the vehicle at a comfortable level. Yusei and Crow were, again, ahead of us. I was in the passenger seat and had the seat raised up so that the twins could actually sit properly, as I'd previously had it down during Yusei's Duel with Kalin.

I had my earphones in, music blaring in my ears, but I wasn't really listening to the music at all. My mind was pretty much focused solely on the brief flash I had of Taze. I wiped my eyes, trying not to strain myself in thinking too hard about it all. All I knew was that Taze was in a lot of the recent visions I'd been having, and Joel mentioned him too, which meant at the very least, Taze had to mean something to me.

I decided then that once everything with the Dark Signers was over, and after I got my life back on track, I'd give Taze a call.

I refocused my eyes on the dark clouds in the sky above when Leo's head popped into my view. With my music at a volume that was probably causing prolonged damage to my ears, I couldn't hear anything he said. To be honest, I didn't really pick up on the fact that he might've been trying to talk to me. I just kept my eyes on his until Leo frowned, reaching over and pulling my earphones out of my ears.

" _Look_!" Leo shouted.

"What?!" I jerked, pulling the seat back up as I stared in awe at a large crater that was a few miles ahead of us. " _Oh_ … That's a pretty big hole…!"

"The Original Momentum Reactor…" Trudge muttered.

"So that was Zero Reverse everything started?" Luna asked. "I can't _imagine_ what it must have been like…"

"It was absolutely terrible. Satellite was formed as a split-off from New Domino, and millions were killed, and among them Yusei's father." Trudge explained. "If something like that were to happen again today… it would mean the end of the world…"

My eyes widened in fear. I didn't know how to explain it. It was like I could feel the essence of darkness pulsating throughout the depths of not only where the Momentum Reactor once stood, but through my own body as well. To me, it went far beyond mere depression or unhappiness. It was something else… something dangerous…

Luna groaned a little as Leo put an arm around her shoulder. "Don't be scared, Luna."

"There's something powerful and terrifying down there, Leo. I can sense it!" Luna cried.

"Luna, it's alright. I'll protect you." Leo assured her.

No one said anything else until we all pulled our vehicles up alongside the giant crater. We were close enough so that we didn't have to walk very far, but far away enough so that we wouldn't get caught if the reactor became active. I wouldn't have really thought about it like that, but with everything that had happened so far with the Dark Signers, an explosion resulting from a Shadow Duel really wasn't that preposterous.

"No way! It's too scary!" Leo shouted. Crow, Yusei, Luna, Leo, Trudge and I were now peering directly into the crater. There was a staircase which proceeded down into the crater, which I assumed housed the Reactor itself.

"Let the record show that Leo's courage lasted a whole five minutes." Luna joked. Hey, she's funnier than Jack…

"Well this is it." Crow said.

"Yeah…" Yusei sighed, before turning to Crow. "You with me?"

"You _know_ it!" Crow cheered.

"Then let's go!" Yusei said, determined as he led the way down the steps. I didn't know how old the staircase was, so I held onto the railing as tight as I could, making sure to watch my feet as I walked down after Yusei.

The staircase eventually ended, and a bridge protruded out of that. Yusei stepped off the staircase as Roman's voice echoed throughout the near-empty void. "There you are, Yusei…" Roman teased, causing Yusei to scowl.

I squinted a little as I focused my eyes on a tall man standing what seemed like yards away. The bridge truly seemed to stretch on forever. Although I didn't really get a good look at him, due to it being dark, I assumed that the man was Roman.

"Stay back!" Yusei ordered, causing me to flinch. Luna inched closer to me and hugged my right arm tightly as I began to sweat. I'll admit, I was feeling very uneasy.

"I'm glad you came!" Roman shouted as he began walking towards us. "Though I am honestly surprised; I thought you'd be too torn up over what you did to your friend!"

"What _I_ did?!" Yusei asked, enraged. "Kalin chose his own path; I am _not_ responsible for his death! If anyone's to blame it's _you_ _,_ Roman! _You_ took advantage of a screwed up kid!" Yusei vented.

"You tell him, Yusei…" I murmured.

"Is that so?" Roman spoke calmly as he'd now made it halfway across the bridge and taken his hood off. "Don't misunderstand me, Yusei. I wasn't blaming you. You couldn't help it either. It was destiny. You were always meant to befriend each other, turn on each other, hate each other, _kill_ each other! You think _you're_ any different to _me_?" Roman laughed. "I was guided by destiny too, to _kill your father_!"

"My father?!" Yusei asked. Roman continued to laugh and flicked a switch. An explosion randomly happened overhead as an earthquake happened, while underground… Bright multicolored lights emitted up from under where the bridge was. It was as if in this place, logic held no bearing.

"It's beautiful!" Luna hummed, almost mesmerized by the pattern.

"Is all this light coming from the Reactor?" Leo asked.

"What is this?!" Yusei demanded.

"Can't you feel it, Yusei?" Roman asked so softly, I could hardly hear him. "Seventeen years ago, your father and I discovered a gateway to Hell. On the other side of that light sleeps a magnificent power, Yusei. Once this Gate to the Underworld has opened up, the power will spill into this world and consume it completely!"

"Do you even care about the lives you've taken, Roman?! The people that you've hurt so that your Earthbound Immortals can gain power?! Up until now, you've thought only about yourself, done whatever you wanted, but not anymore!" Yusei clenched his fists before pointing squarely at Roman. "I am gonna make you _pay_ for all the damage that you've done!"

"In the face of infinite possibilities, it's inevitable that some casualties be-"

"You don't get it-"

"No! _You_ don't get it!" Roman interrupted. "There are incredible forces at play here, Yusei. And not just now, all _throughout_ history! Haven't you seen it? The Trojan War? New Atlantis? We humans are a means to an end. We're not important. We're disposable. Our individual lives mean nothing! Just look at us. You're fighting for the Crimson Dragon, a God of Creation, and me the King of the Underworld, a God of Destruction!" Roman cackled, his arms outstretched. "But look below us, Yusei. Do you see the light? This light is dead. It encompasses the Shades, the citizens of Hell and yet, this light is alive. It is part of a chain reaction that not only took the life of your father, but will soon find _me_ as well!"

"You're insane!" Yusei shouted.

"I will send you to the deepest pits of Hell just like I did your father!" Roman activated his Duel Disk, followed by Yusei. "Come…" Roman purred, "Fight me…"

"Be careful!" Leo and Luna shouted in unison.

Both Yusei's and Roman's Marks lit up as Yusei pumped his fist into the air. "Let's Duel!"

[Yusei: 4000 LP]  
[Roman: 4000 LP]

" _I'll_ start!" Roman spoke calmly, drawing his card. "I'll Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"No monsters?" Trudge asked.

"Just one card…" I muttered. I pondered a little. If Yusei drew Mystical Space Typhoon or a similar card in his starting hand, he'd probably be able to inflict major damage to Roman on his first turn. Maybe even win the game.

"My turn!" Yusei drew dramatically. "I send Level Eater to the Graveyard to Summon Quickdraw Synchron!" [ATK: 700]. "Next, I lower Quickdraw's level by one to re-summon Level Eater to the field." [Quickdraw Synchron: LV: 4]  
[Level Eater: ATK: 600] "Then, Quickdraw can absorb the abilities of a Tuner monster! So for this effect, I target my Junk Synchron!"

"Nice!" Leo shouted as Quickdraw took aim and fired at an image of Junk Synchron.

"Next, I'll tune my Level Eater with my Quickdraw Synchron! Stars, come together to form a new power! Light the way forward down this path! Come forth, Junk Warrior!" a pillar of light enveloped Yusei's monsters before it faded, revealing the blue-armored warrior. [ATK: 2300]. "Now!" Yusei threw his hand out. "Attack Roman directly!"

Junk Warrior dashed forward, before jumping into the air and charging at Roman. I expected Roman to collapse from the blow, but instead, somehow, he parried it and swatted Junk Warrior away.

[Roman: 1700 LP]

"Yeah!" Trudge yelled.

"He did it! Yusei got the first attack in!" Leo added.

"You truly are a fool, Yusei." he chuckled. "Because of that attack, I can now activate my Trap Card, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing! This allows me to summon two Spider Tokens to my side of the field!"

"Damn…" I mumbled as two green mutant spiders appeared outside the bridge [ATK: 0].

"That was quite a cheap move, Roman!" Yusei taunted. "I'll Set one card and end my turn."

"Those spiders don't have any attack points. This guy has no _idea_ what he's doing." Leo proudly stated, wiping his nose quickly with his finger.

"No, Leo, don't you get it? Roman's set himself up perfectly. He's clearly planning ahead and looking to execute a major move on his turn!" Luna said, turning to Leo, who just grumbled at his sister's remark.

"Luna's right, Leo. These Dark Signers have a way of turning the Duel around, no matter how it's going. He brought those monsters to the field to sacrifice them-"

"He's going to summon his Earthbound Immortal." I accidentally interrupted Trudge, before turning to him. "Oh, sorry. Were you gonna say that?" I asked.

"Yes, but-"

"I can feel it!" Luna shouted, now also having interrupted Trudge. "Whatever happens next you three, don't leave my side!" Luna begged.

"What do you mean?!" Leo edged back. "You know you really freak me out when you talk like that!"

"Wait a minute…" I muttered, looking around, realizing that Crow wasn't with us. "Where's Crow?!"

"It's my turn!" Roman shouted, drawing a card. "I activate the Field Spell Card, Spider Web!" Light began to shoot itself around the bridge and bounce off the walls as it travelled upwards, revealing cracks in the void. Leo and Luna ran to me, and gripped my arms tightly.

"What's happening?" Leo asked.

I looked up to see a giant spider web at the top of the void, blocking any potential escape.

"Now you're trapped, all of you." Roman said calmly. "Trapped like a bunch of flies! Now, I'll sacrifice my Spider Tokens to summon Earthbound Immortal Uru!"

"Here it comes!" Yusei shouted as Leo and Luna buried their faces into my chest. I held onto them tightly as Trudge took an uneasy step back before bracing himself.

A purple light shot down from the spider web as a giant black spider with glowing red indents appeared, before stabbing its legs into the sides of the earth. Purple fire spewed out the sides and fell into the pool of rainbow-colored light below [ATK: 3000].

In an instant, Luna's Signer Mark flashed even brighter, before a transparent red bubble materialized over Trudge, Leo, Luna and myself. It was the same bubble that appeared when Kalin had Summoned his Earthbound Immortal, and when that earthquake happened at the orphanage.

"This thing had better protect us, Luna!" Trudge stammered.

Luna took her face away from my chest and seemed surprised to see that the bubble had appeared. "We'll be fine!" she assured us, but her voice was wavering. Regardless, we all turned back to the Duel.

"Thanks to my Spider Web, Uru is able to attack you directly! Go, Uru!" Roman ordered. "Kill that pathetic Signer!" Uru shot a ton of web from its mouth at Yusei. I clenched my teeth as I watched.

"Yusei!" Leo shouted, running to the edge of the bubble.

"I activate my Trap Card, Synchro Barrier! By sacrificing Junk Warrior, I can negate your attack!" Yusei shouted as Junk Warrior leaped in front of the web and was pinned to the bridge before exploding.

"You're only delaying the inevitable…" Roman teased. "I'll Set two cards face-down and play Destiny Activator! This allows me to send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard. From this point forward, if the card you draw is the same type as this card, then you'll lose half your Life Points! So go on, Yusei, draw! You'd better pray to the Gods that you don't pick up a monster."

Yusei clenched his fists before looking at the bridge and then back at us. "Here goes!" Yusei shouted, drawing a card, flipping it over and revealing it to Roman.

"Ah! A Trap Card! Either the Gods are smiling upon you, or they're toying with you!" Roman smiled.

Leo sighed with relief.

"Yusei can't relax yet. He's going to need a plan to beat that Earthbound Immortal, or else…" Trudge murmured.

"I Summon Speed Warrior!" Yusei shouted as the acrobatic monster appeared before him, jumping and flipping around on the field. "Since he was Summoned this turn, his attack points double!" [ATK: 1800].

"You know that Uru can't be selected as an attack target, right?" Roman asked.

"I do. I also know that in this circumstance, the only other target I can select for an attack is _you_! So Speed Warrior, attack Roman directly!" Yusei ordered.

"I activate my Trap Card, Roar of the Earthbound!" Roman pressed a button on his Duel Disk, before a gust of air blew Speed Warrior off the bridge and into the light.

[Yusei: 3100 LP]

"I Set one card and end my turn." Yusei muttered, sounding irritated.

"How many more attacks from Uru do you think you can avoid?" Roman jested. "Let's see! Uru, attack!" Roman yelled as Uru once again shot string from its mouth down at Yusei.

"Reveal Trap Card, Spirit Force!" Yusei shouted as the card lifted up.

"Sorry, but I'm countering with Earthbound Wave! If I have an Earthbound Immortal out, I can negate the activation and effect of your Trap Card and then destroy it!" Another card lifted up, this time from Roman's field, causing Yusei's trap to disappear.

"Wha-" Yusei screamed in pain as Uru's web seemed to cut through his flesh like a knife. Yusei slowly dropped to the bottom of the bridge as blood gushed out of the open wounds on his skin.

[Yusei: 100 LP]

"Yusei!" Leo and Luna shouted in unison.

"Oh no!" Trudge shouted.

I watched with horror as Yusei's blood dripped out of his body and trickled down off the sides of the bridge.

"Stand up, Yusei! Stand up so I can throw you into the pits of Tartarus!" Roman yelled. Yusei coughed up blood, causing Roman to sigh. "Or just lie there and wait for your death to come, and bleed out… I _really_ don't mind either way…" Roman smiled. It was sickening how a grown man could take such pleasure in killing another human being. On the other hand though, I was the same. When Sayer was knocked unconscious I had almost become a completely different person, one who, like Roman, also took pleasure in causing pain. I hadn't even _thought_ of that when Crow told me what Kalin had done.

Maybe Luna was wrong. Maybe I _was_ a monster.

"I'm…" Yusei grunted as he forced himself to stand. "I'm not afraid of you, Roman!" Yusei shouted, before taking a step back, probably because he lost a lot of blood. Yusei shakily drew a card from his Deck before showing it to Roman.

"A Monster Card!" Roman grinned as Destiny Activator shot a beam of light through Yusei's chest, blasting him back down to the ground.

[Yusei: 50 LP]

I cursed up a storm of profanity in my head, but I let out the only word I could think of at that point that wasn't a swear. "Darn!"

"Yusei's barely holding on! Both in Life Points and in…" Trudge struggled to finish his sentence.

"He looks weak! You don't think he'll die, do you?" Leo asked.

"I hope not…" I muttered. Everyone else stayed silent.

"This Duel is _over_!" Roman shouted.

Yusei once again struggled to his feet, only this time using the ropes of the bridge to support him. "In case you haven't noticed, Roman, I've still got some Life Points left. And besides, a Duel's not over until the last card is played!" Yusei shouted, coughing up some more blood.

"You tell him!" Leo shouted.

"Don't back down!" Luna added.

"Get 'em, kid!" Trudge finished.

I couldn't think of anything to say at that point that was appropriate for me to say in the company of the twins, so I kept my mouth shut, mentally urging Yusei to fuck Roman up real good.

"I Summon Zero Gardna in Defense Position!" Yusei shouted, throwing his card down as the monster appeared [DEF: 0]. "Finally, I Set one card. Your move."

"I must admit. I'm impressed that you're able to stand up. It seems you do have the will to fight on after all. I supposed you inherited that stupidity from your father!" Roman taunted. "But the fact that you're here facing me now… I can almost _taste_ the destiny…!" Roman licked his lips.

"There's no destiny between us, Roman!" Yusei shot back.

"Really, Yusei? Your father worked on Momentum with me, and now seventeen years later, you – his son – is staring me down in a Shadow Duel! Whether or not you believe in fate or destiny, it's staring you right in the face. You're up against a force that you cannot begin to comprehend. Once the King of the Underworld is released, the Titans will cross over into this world and bring about a new era of purity, of prosperity!"

Something inside me just snapped, and I found myself yelling across to Roman.

"Prosperity?!" I shouted. "Who's that _for_?! _You_?! A very small, select group of people?! Purity that demands exclusion isn't really purity!"

"Tyler?" Yusei asked.

Everyone turned to me. "You're also right that it was the Gods who started the Trojan War, but _who_ fought in them? Humans, not Gods! They treat us like pawns for their own personal gain! Some not _even_ for any personal gain at all! Some just wanted to watch us _kill_ each other! And you're _on_ that side! You're talking about fate and destiny, but you've _deliberately_ put yourself on the side of evil. You had a choice to make, and you became a Dark Signer, like Kalin did. And now, Yusei's gonna kick your ass." I ranted.

"Tyler…" Yusei muttered.

Roman laughed. "You have such _faith_ in him! But you'll see where faith gets you!" Roman turned, focusing back on Yusei. "Yusei! It's time you learnt the truth about what happened between Rex, Professor Fudo and myself!" Roman shouted.

"My father?" Yusei asked.

"Yes. My brother and I worked under your father while developing and researching the Original Momentum Reactor. Your father was willing to shut down the reactor because he found out that it could cause damage to New Domino City. The time and money that Rex and I had spent would've all been for nought, so I appealed to the Board of Directors and they handed control of the project to me. Unfortunately, Rex helped your father escape, and he scattered all but one of the Signer Dragon cards. Irrespective of this, I turned the Momentum Reactor on…" Roman sighed, almost seeming to relish his next words. "It was at that moment that in five thousand years, the Gate to the Underworld opened, and I became a Dark Signer."

"You…!" Yusei muttered, before he broke out into a rage. " _You_! You lied to me, Roman! You said that my father was greedy, and that he didn't care about the safety of New Domino City!"

"Oh, Yusei. You _believed_ me, really?" Roman laughed. "I said that because I wanted to upset you. In truth, your father was a self-righteous bore who couldn't comprehend the power of Momentum. But by the time I knew of my destiny, the God of Destruction was already in my head. I could have forced him out if I really wanted to, but…" Roman looked over at me, drawing a card from his Deck. "As you said, I wanted this… I _wanted_ to become the darkness… And now, I will use this darkness to kill you, just like I did your father! Uru, kill this pathetic Signer!"

"Not so fast, Roman! By tributing Zero Gardna, I can negate the attack of your monster!" Yusei explained, before doing just that.

"I'm becoming irritated that you're managing to survive so many of my attacks!" Roman admitted. "I'll place one card face-down, hurry up and go!"

"I draw!" Yusei shouted, before once again showing Roman his card. "Then I'll place two cards face-down. That's it."

"My turn…" Roman muttered. "I kill your hope right here, Yusei! I activate Earthbound Whirlwind! With Uru out, all of your Spell and Trap Cards will be destroyed!"

"I thought you try something like that, which is why I Set my Starlight Road! Not only does it negate the effect of your Spell Card and destroy it, it also allows me to Summon Stardust Dragon!" Yusei threw his hand into the air as his iconic monster appeared behind him [ATK: 2500].

"He did it!" Leo cheered. "He managed to bring out his Stardust Dragon!"

"Next, I activate my Shooting Star Trap Card, which allows me to destroy one card on the field. Since I can't target Uru, I'll take out your Spider Web!" Yusei shouted, pointing at Roman. "Let's see how well you can do without it."

"Actually, let's not. I chain Anti Emptiness. By decreasing the attack of one of my monsters to zero, I can negate and destroy your Trap Card!" Roman's card flipped up and shot a beam light at both Uru and Yusei's trap, destroying the latter [Earthbound Immortal Uru: ATK 0]. "I end my turn, so now Uru's attack returns to normal!" [ATK: 3000].

"Not bad, Roman." Yusei drew and showed the card to him. "But I activate my Battle Waltz Spell Card! With this in play, I get a Waltz Token that is an exact duplicate of my Stardust Dragon, copying everything except its effect!" [Waltz Token: ATK: 2500] "Now Waltz Token, attack Roman directly!" Yusei's duplicate dragon took flight before charging at Roman.

"You _fool_! Did you forget about my Continuous Trap? I activate Roar of the Earthbound!" Roman shouted.

"I didn't forget, which is why I'm tributing the _real_ Stardust Dragon to negate the effect. Now, Waltz Token, attack!" Yusei ordered.

"I reveal Brilliant Shrine Art, which redirects the target of your attack from myself to Uru!" A card flipped up on Roman's field, causing Yusei's monster to drastically change course and fly towards Uru. As Yusei's dragon hit Uru, it exploded, causing a flash of light to cover the battlefield. As a result, I wasn't able to see anything.

"Yusei!" I called out, fearing the worst. There was no reply, but when the dust settled, Yusei was shown to still be standing.

"What?! How did-" Roman began.

"Sorry, Roman, but neither of us take any damage when my Waltz Token is destroyed by battle." Yusei said. "Not only that, but Uru's attack power is reduced by the attack of what Waltz Token had!" [Earthbound Immortal Uru: ATK: 500].

"Clever, Yusei… You've managed to stave off death for another turn. But you know as well as I do that destiny is on my side, just as it has been since the very beginning…" Roman smirked.

" _Shut up_!" Yusei suddenly snapped. It was the first time I really saw him lose his composure. "You prattle on and on about fate or destiny, but _your_ actions have caused unspeakable pain! You _chose_ to do what you did! But listen, I understand that life is a series of chain reactions. If my father had never discovered the power of Momentum, then Zero Reverse never would've happened, the Satellite would still be part of New Domino, Crow and Jack wouldn't have needed to grow up on the streets without their parents. I get that… But my dad was my dad, he wasn't some cosmic chess piece! He was human! He made mistakes!" Yusei shook his head. "And as for my friends and all the crap they've had to go through, don't you _dare_ tell me that's fate! That they've all had to live in poverty because they were meant to!" Yusei clenched his fists. "My father was the one that started all this… and my friends could very easily blame _me_ for all their pain and suffering, but they don't… They still think of me as a friend… but how the Hell can I face them, look at them, when my father ruined their lives?! _Answer me_ , _Roman_!"

"That's the darkness in your heart…" Roman said coldly.

"Don't listen to him, Yusei!" a voice called out. We all turned to the direction of the voice and saw Crow standing on the balcony of one of the rooms near the reactor. "I heard what you said about your dad, and you're right. It wasn't his fault. There was no way that he'd have known that Roman was going to do what he did." Crow shouted. "I had no idea that you felt that way about us, though. I never wanted you to think that somewhere, deep down, we hated you, because we don't. We love you."

"Crow…" Yusei muttered.

"Yusei, I never once thought that my life was ruined because of your dad. You don't need to take responsibility for all of those who suffered. It was _this_ guy's fault!" Crow assured him.

"That might be true, but-"

"Listen to me: if Zero Reverse had never happened, we would've never met up and become best friends! I don't know about fate or destiny, but I'm glad that what happened lead me to meet you! See? Good things lead to bad things, and bad things lead to _good_ things! That's just what life is like! At the end of the day, we all have choices. We aren't destined to make them. This guy's just using destiny as an excuse to be a dick!" Crow shouted. "Yusei… you, Jack, and Tyler are my brothers! And I trust that you'll be able to take this guy down! So do it, Yusei! _Finish it_!"

"Right!" Yusei shouted, before turning back to Roman. "I reveal my final Set card, Stardust Flash!" A pillar of light rose up from the card as Stardust Dragon appeared on the field [ATK: 2500].

"Stardust Dragon came _back_?!" Roman asked, stunned.

"That's right, Roman! Attack now! Shooting Sonic!" Yusei yelled as Stardust Dragon charged right through Uru, causing more purple fire to spill into the light below. Uru's legs un-wedged themselves and the giant spider fell into the pool of light.

[Roman: 0 LP]

Roman dropped to his knees in defeat, but turned his head to face Yusei. "You really think it's over, don't you? Well unless you seal all of the towers by sunset, the King of the Underworld _will be revived_!" Roman cackled.

"We know that already!" Yusei stated firmly.

"Do you? Well know this: _I'm taking you to Hell with me_!" Roman grabbed onto both sides of the bridge, ripping the rope away, causing the entire bridge to collapse as he and Yusei began to fall into the pool of light.

"Yusei! _No_!" I shouted.

"Grab the rope!" Trudge shouted, but it was too late. All we could do was watch as Yusei disappeared from our view, falling into the Momentum below.


	14. Monster

I honestly didn't know how much time had passed since Yusei and Roman had fallen into the rainbow-colored light. It had happened so quickly that I was still trying to take it all in. One moment, Yusei had won his Shadow Duel against Roman, the next, Roman took out the bridge's support and sent them both into the light together.

"Yusei's dead! Yusei's dead!" Leo cried, tears running down his face.

"He can't be…" Luna muttered. Although she wasn't crying like her brother, her voice was wavering. I heard footsteps coming up from behind me. I turned and saw Crow, who ran up to us and peered down into the light.

"Yusei wouldn't go through all this just to die here! He's fine! I'm sure of it!" Crow assured Leo, causing him to cheer up slightly. "The only thing we don't know is where the light leads…"

"Didn't you hear what Roman said?" I asked softly, causing everyone to turn to me. "How that light leads to Hell?" I moved just a little bit closer to the edge, crouching down and steadying myself to get a better look at the light. "He said that this Momentum served as a Passage to the Underworld, and I've heard that you can't go back through the same Passage. That being said, there are several other places where one can not only enter Tartarus, but leave as well. These places were cut off from the Gods by way of Adamantine Gates. The gates can only be opened by the hand of a mortal. That has to be why the King of the Underworld requires the assistance of the Dark Signers in the first place." I shook my head. "But I digress. If Yusei can find one of these gates, he can escape."

"So Yusei still has a hope?" Leo asked. I nodded once more. " _Alright_!" Leo cheered. "That's awesome!"

"Tyler…" Luna muttered, causing me to turn to her.

"Yeah?" I asked her softly.

"How do you know all of this?"

I looked down at the floor. "To tell you the truth, I don't know how I know." I sighed. "I'm sorry I can't be more specific. I'm also trying to figure out some of the stuff I said. Most of what I said is probably wrong anyway." I turned to Crow. "Hey, uh… It might seem like a bad time to ask this, but where'd you run off to?"

"Well," Crow began, scratching his head. "I noticed a building that was just on the other side of the crater. It had, like, a military aircraft carrier out the front of it. I went to investigate, but I didn't wanna tell you guys in case you followed me and we all got caught."

"What did you find?" Trudge asked.

"I think that the building is just an extension of the reactor here. One of the rooms was basically trashed, but some of the equipment in the room was still working, and it actually pointed to this place right here." Crow explained, motioning to the pool of light. "That's how I was able to find you guys."

"It's all connected, isn't it?" I asked. "The Momentum Reactor and the Operations Room, I mean."

"Yeah…" Crow informed.

"Then the other gates…" I muttered, slowly trying to piece everything together. "Crow, where is this room?"

"Uh… It's a fair ways away from here. Why?" Crow asked.

"We need to go there right now!" I shouted.

"What?! Why?!" Trudge asked.

"If it's connected to the reactor, then the Operations Room could serve as a way for Yusei to get out of the Underworld!" I explained, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

"Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way, Crow!" Leo shouted. Crow nodded and headed back the way he came as I followed closely behind him. Trudge, Leo and Luna struggled to keep up, but we all eventually made it to a room blocked by a steel door.

"This is it…" Crow muttered.

"Did you go in before?" I asked.

"No, but I saw what was inside." Crow admitted.

"Okay…" I murmured, slowly opening the door. "Stay close, everyone." I ordered.

We walked in, but the room was pitch-black and we had no idea where we were going. The only source of light was coming from Luna's Signer Mark. I heard Leo yell out as a thud accompanied him. Suddenly, all of the room's overhead lights switched on, revealing a computer and the same pool of multi-colored light, only this time, it was protected by glass.

"Leo! Are you alright?" Luna asked, helping Leo to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I must've tripped on something." Leo said sheepishly. "Whoa! Check it out!" Leo shouted, walking up to the glass and running his hand along it.

"Leo! Stay back!" Luna shouted, clutching her arm.

"If you break the glass, we don't know what'll happen!" Trudge added.

I silently walked over to the computer and tried to make sense of what was on the screen. One of the applications running was just an audit application managing the glass container, the specifics of which I couldn't quite understand. The unfortunate thing was that there were also a number of secondary processes running on the computer as well, and the image names weren't showing up. Crow walked up to me and peered over my shoulder. "So… uh, any of this making sense to you?" he asked.

"Please, Taze. You don't give me enough credit." I gasped once I realized what I said. It felt so easy for me to say it, and it just sort of slipped out.

"What?" Crow asked as Leo, Luna and Trudge came over.

"Um… nothing… wow, okay, sorry about that… I was… thinking about something else…" I panted. "Yeah, I um, I understand this. This computer is managing the stability of the light, and there's a whole bunch of secondary processes running too."

"Sounds like you know what you're doing then." Crow smiled. "You know, back in the Satellite, you were quite a whizz with computers."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's actually how Yusei was able to first learn about computers – from you."

" _Really_?" I asked once more. "That's pretty cool… probably why I walked over here, now that I think about it…"

"So what do we do?" Trudge asked.

"Well, I can terminate the other processes to make the program managing the light have maximum priority. It's simple enough." I said. It was actually weird that the computer was giving me the option to kill all the other processes but not actually tell me what they were.

"And what will happen if you do that?" Crow asked.

"Well, I don't know what any of the secondary processes are, the computer's being a dick and won't tell me, and if this thing shuts down, then Yusei won't be able to come back." I hypothesized. "So I'm really afraid to do anything at this point. But there might be a chance that if I shut everything else down, Yusei will be able to come back."

"Then shut 'em down!" Leo stamped his foot on the ground.

" _Leo_!" Luna groaned.

"Alright, you guys might wanna hold onto something." I suggested. As Leo and Luna held onto one-another and Crow and Trudge braced themselves, I closed down all secondary processes and background applications, causing the overhead lights to shut off. "Hmm… So, this computer was controlling _everything_ in the room…"

The entire room started to shake as the multi-colored light pierced through the glass, causing me and everyone else to have to shield their eyes. When the shaking stopped, I slowly opened my eyes to find a figure lying where the glass container once stood.

"Hey, it's Yusei!" Leo and Luna shouted. Indeed, lying in the middle of the room was Yusei, who surprisingly seemed to have been healed from the injuries sustained in his Duel with Roman. We all ran over and crowded around Yusei.

"Yusei! Open your eyes!" Crow ordered.

"Say something!" Leo insisted.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked as Yusei's consciousness began to stir.

Yusei slowly opened his eyes as they met with all of ours. "Hey there!" Leo cheered.

"I won't forget what you said, father…" Yusei muttered, slowly sitting up.

Did Yusei meet his father in the Underworld, I asked myself.

"Uhhh… you feelin' okay, Yusei?" Crow asked

"What…?" Yusei whispered.

"What exactly happened down there?" Trudge asked.

"Hey! Give him a break, would ya? He's just a little shaken up! Give him a moment to get himself together!" Leo shouted, turning to Trudge.

"I'm fine. Thanks for looking out for me, you guys. But, how did you know I'd end up here?" Yusei asked. "I mean, I don't even know where I am."

"Tyler knew exactly where you'd be!" Leo grinned, sounding pretty impressed.

"How?" Yusei asked, turning to me.

"Eh, just a hunch…" I shrugged, honestly not sure I had the time to explain everything to him, or even if I'd be able to. A loud beep emitting from the computer brought me back over to it. The screen read: FATAL ERROR. A dialog box below it simply said "Ok." I clicked on the box and the entire room started shaking again. "Yeah… I think we'd better get out of here…" I said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Right!" Yusei agreed. We all quickly darted out of the room and proceeded to head back to the bridge, the ground around us just starting to crumble at our feet. Right as we made it to where the bridge had been, Luna fell back and dangled off the edge, having lost her footing.

"Luna!" Leo shouted, running to her, but he was too short to reach her.

"You guys head for higher ground, I've got Luna." I said.

Trudge, Yusei and Crow nodded and ran for the stairs, but Leo twitched. "No! I'm not leaving my sister!"

"Leo! _Please_!" I shouted. Leo took a short step back, before heading off with the others. "Hang on, Luna!" I shouted to her, peering down, noticing she was almost into the light.

"Ah! Tyler! Help me _please_!" Luna begged. I skidded down and grabbed the idle piece of rope that she was clinging to.

"Hold on tight!" I ordered as I began to pull Luna up. Bit by bit, Luna got dragged up, and in a split second, I let go of the rope and grabbed Luna's waist as gently as I could, pulling her to safety. The rope fell into the light.

"That was close! Thanks, Tyler." Luna panted, clutching me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her to my chest.

"No problem…" I muttered, before releasing Luna from my embrace. "Look, we still gotta get out of here!" I shouted, motioning for her to follow me up the stairs. I turned back as I heard Luna gasp. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I-It's my Signer Mark!"

I looked down at Luna's sleeve and noticed that her Signer Mark was no longer there. "What's that mean?" I asked.

"Someone must be calling on the full power of the Crimson Dragon!" Luna explained.

"Okay…" I whispered, as we continued up the staircase. My main priority wasn't who else was Dueling, it was getting Luna to safety. "As long as you're alright though…"

We didn't say anything more as we luckily and conveniently just got off the staircase as it un-wedged from its place in the crater and shifted into the pool of light.

Leo, Crow, Yusei and Trudge must've heard our footsteps because as soon as we planted our feet into the Earth, Leo ran over and almost tackled Luna with a hug. "Luna! Thank goodness you're safe!" he bawled.

"You don't need to worry about me so much, Leo!" Luna blushed.

"We're brother and sister! That's what we do!" Leo laughed, turning to me. "You saved Luna again, Tyler. Thanks."

"No problem," I smiled. "And I'm sorry if it seemed like I was yelling at you back there, but I couldn't risk something happening to you either."

"Hey! Check it out, you guys!" Crow shouted, pointing to specks of purple light in the distance.

"It looks like it's coming from the Hummingbird's Control Unit…" I muttered.

"Do you think this means that Jack won his Duel?" Luna asked.

"Yeah!" Leo cheered, thrusting his arms. "Sure it does!"

"Then there's just one Control Unit left to seal… And I have the feeling that it's going to be the most difficult one of them all!"

"Well we haven't got a moment to lose then. We'd better get there as quickly as possible." Trudge suggested. We all nodded, each of us getting into our respective vehicles. Trudge, Leo, Luna and I in the patrol car, and Crow and Yusei on their Duel Runners.

Without another word, Trudge revved the car and shot off with Yusei in tow.

I still couldn't understand how Trudge could be speeding and yet still call himself an officer of the law. I mean, I get that he's speeding 'cause we're on a massive time-crunch, but still…

"The only Control Unit left is the Lizard's. That's the one that Akiza and Mina went to, right?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, but they need to get there quickly! If Akiza doesn't take it down before sunset, the Gate to the Underworld will open again!"

"That reminds me, what did you actually see when you went into the light, Yusei?" Crow asked.

"Well… I," Yusei paused. "At first I seemed to be in some weird red wasteland and I was all alone, but then these ghosts came out of nowhere and tried to pull me into the ground."

"Shades…" I muttered.

"Shades?" Yusei asked.

"The dead. Dark, fading echoes of those who once inherited the world of the living. If they tainted you, you'd be inconsolable, but you should pity rather than fear them…" I explained.

"Wow…" Crow muttered.

"Well, if you buy into that crap then sure…" Trudge said sarcastically. His remark gave me half a mind to hope that the King of the Underworld would be summoned, just so I could rub everything in his face. But it wouldn't be right to wish that just to prove a person wrong.

A run-down carnival site soon came into view. I glanced over at Yusei with a questioning look, as I found it kind of odd that a carnival site would be put up near a control unit. "Are you guys sure this is the right place? I mean, really? A carnival site?"

"I know what you mean, Tyler. It does seem odd, to put up a carnival site near a control unit. But that might be why. After all, no one would suspect it." Yusei said.

"I see your point…" I murmured. No one else said anything, as we headed to the front of the Abandoned Site Complex.

"Well it looks they got here fine…" Yusei muttered as we all pulled up on opposite sides of the other patrol car, which belonged to Mina.

"What if they Dueled already and Akiza lost?" Leo asked.

"Leo!" Luna sighed, probably angry that her brother was already jumping to that conclusion.

"Come on! Let's go find our friends!" Yusei shouted. I nodded, disconnecting my phone from the patrol car's connector and putting it in my pocket.

* * *

It had been at least half an hour since we all split up to find Akiza. Luna, Leo and Trudge went to cover one third of the carnival site, Yusei and Crow another, and myself the final third. I was confident that I would be able to handle myself pretty well, so I didn't really care about drawing unnecessary attention to myself if there was anyone out to get me.

"Akiza! Mina! Where are you?!" I called out, cupping my hands over my mouth in an attempt to project the sound of my voice forward.

As if in response to my latest shout, a tornado seemed to force itself up from a random spot in the area. I hoped that no one was caught in the middle of that. In a way, I was kind of glad that the tornado popped up, 'cause it told me something important was happening.

I made my way through all of the damaged rides and attractions at the site, only to be met with a dome of blue crystal surrounded by an irregular layout of buildings. In the center of the dome, I caught sight of Akiza locked in a Duel with Misty. I couldn't tell who was in the lead, but it seemed to be a very close game. Both sides had monsters out and neither seemed to be in any sort of disadvantage.

I looked to one side of the buildings and saw Leo and Luna perching themselves over a railing on the staircase in order to get a better look at the Duel.

I made my way over to them as quickly as I could. "Thank God you guys are okay…" I panted.

"Tyler!" Leo and Luna shouted. "Something's wrong with Akiza!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, recovering from my run.

"Just look at her!" Luna shouted. I did as she asked and leaned against the railing to get a better look at Akiza. In her eyes I could see a cold, vacant and yet dominating expression, like the one that Liquid and Okita had when they were both brainwashed. But that wasn't the only thing I saw.

It was difficult for me to make it out at first, but standing directly across from me in another building was a well-dressed man with auburn-colored hair that fell to cover half of his face. My eyes didn't deceive me. I could never forget a face like his.

Sayer.

The rage that I thought was gone returned in an instant, and I clenched my fists so hard that my fingernails dug into my own skin and I drew blood. It all made sense now! Sayer must have done to Akiza what he did to Liquid, Okita and all the others.

My breathing escalated and I shook my head fiercely before turning to the twins. "You two stay here!" I ordered.

"Tyler? What's wrong?" Luna asked, sensing the uneasiness in my voice.

" _Just promise me you'll stay here_!" I snapped, causing the twins to twitch.

"Y-yeah… Okay, we'll stay here…" Luna muttered. I know that it was horribly rude of me to go off at them like that when they had done nothing wrong, but I couldn't control myself.

The next thing I knew, I was already heading back down the stairs and running towards the building where I saw Sayer. The thoughts " _Kill! Destroy! Murder_!" flashing through my mind. I quickly ran up the stairs of Sayer's building where I was shocked to find that the door was already open.

I peered in to see Yusei dangling off the edge of the balcony, barely gripping it with his hand as Sayer was looking down at him, laughing maniacally. "You thought you could get the jump on me? Sorry! Not happening!"

"What did you do to Akiza?!" Yusei shouted.

"I awoke her true powers." Sayer chuckled. "And now that I have her, I don't need anyone else." Sayer brought his boot up to step on Yusei's hands to make him fall. "See you in Hell, Yusei Fudo!"

As Sayer began to bring his foot down, I summoned up all my strength, all my anger, and charged at him. I was apparently a lot stronger than I thought, because I was able to pull Sayer back by his shirt collar and throw him up against the back wall.

"What the…?" Sayer asked, struggling to return to his feet, when he finally caught sight of me.

"Hello, Sayer…" I smiled, a sadistic grin on my face.

"You…! I never would have imagined I'd find you here!" Sayer remarked.

" _Shut the fuck up_!" I yelled, causing both Yusei's and Sayer's eyes to widen. I continued in a little above a whisper. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did, you cunt… We're not through… not by a long shot…" My face twisted into a smile as I noticed the profanity covering Sayer's face. I was thrilled to see that none of it had healed. I had never been more proud of anything in my life. "Nice tattoos…" I snickered.

"You've still got quite the mouth on you. You'd better be careful with the things you say…" Sayer muttered as Yusei was able to finally get to his feet.

"Tyler…" Yusei muttered, though I paid no attention to him.

"What? You think that you're better than me because you're a psychic?" I asked Sayer. "You may be a psychic, but you're also a lowly little fuckwit who preys on the weak."

"Fuckwit, am I?" Sayer sneered, drawing a card. "And one that preys on weak people? I wonder what that would make you."

A searing pain shot through my head, as though my brain was growing to an exponential size and pushing against my skull. I clutched both sides of my head in agony and forced my eyes shut.

"Tyler!" I heard Yusei shout. "What are you doing to him?!"

"Bringing him back under my control. I think he'll make a good punching bag for Akiza to let out her frustrations." Sayer spoke with an almost jovial nonchalance. "You know, I really must thank you for taking care of all the other Dark Signers. After all, once Akiza's finished off Misty, there'll be no one else left to challenge me. I'll revive the Arcadia Movement and bring it back to its former glory! And with Akiza by my side, no one will be able to stop me!"

"Yusei…!" I managed to force out, the pain quickly becoming too much for me to bear.

"Oh? You're still with us?" Sayer sounded surprised that I was able to resist his control. "It seems you're more trouble than you're worth. Such a shame too. After all, you've got the uniform on and everything… but I don't need people I can't use."

After an intense burst of pain almost took me, the pain started trickling away and I was able to open my eyes.

"Tyler, are you alright?!" Yusei rushed to my side.

I shakily got to my feet. "I-I'm fine…"

"You won't be." Sayer said firmly. It was at that point that Sayer drew a card, holding it up to the sky as a sword materialized in his hand.

I knew what Sayer was going to do. He was going to kill me. And I had two choices: either give in and let him kill me, or fight through the pain and make the bastard pay for everything he did to me, Akiza, Okita, and everyone else.

Sayer went to take a swing at me, but I parried the blow with my Duel Disk and, focusing all my anger, gave him a roundhouse kick in the chest, causing him to drop the sword and fall back.

I actually didn't know how I was able to knock a man down who was clearly much older and much stronger than I was. I guess it must've been my adrenaline or something like that that. After all, there's no way in Hell that I'd have been able to do that under normal circumstances. Then again, none of what has happened over the past few days would be anything I would consider 'normal circumstances'.

The notion that Sayer's sword kept its solid form did surprise me, although I refused to let it show on my face. Instead, I reached down and picked up the sword in my right hand, before giving Sayer a maniacal laugh of my own. "You know, in a way I'm glad that you were able to cheat your way out of death. Because it's gonna make it so much more satisfying when I cut off your head and keep it as a trophy."

It was probably the first time I had ever seen Sayer truly afraid. The first time that I knocked him out, he seemed surprised or maybe even a bit pissed off, but not afraid. No. Now I could see into his eyes, and they were filled with fear. I would be going too far to say that his eyes also showed shame and regret. A person like Sayer would certainly not be capable of showing either of those things. In spite of everything that had happened, and all that he had done, we were back here again. Sayer was beneath me, and I had the opportunity to take his life. That's 'destiny' for you.

I raised the sword above my head and prepared to bring it down on Sayer's. Unfortunately, Yusei raised his hand out to my side, forcing me to stop or I'd cut off his arm.

"Y-Yusei?! What the fuck are you doing?!" I asked, enraged.

"Tyler, I know you're angry, but this isn't the way to do things. You can't just kill him." Yusei said.

"What? Do you want me to beat him in a Duel first?" I asked, the sarcasm dripping from my voice. "You _just_ saw what he did to me! This man is a cunt who deserves to die for what he's done. I will _not_ let him affect anyone else like he has me."

"Tyler, please." Yusei pleaded. "If you kill him, you'll be no better than him."

"I don't care, I want him dead!" I growled. "I want my revenge!"

Yusei shook his head. "The Dark Signers are led by their thirst for revenge. Don't let yourself get taken by the darkness! Don't give into your anger!"

My eyes widened as I realized that that was exactly what happened with Kalin, and what I had been so afraid of. I thought back to how Leo had said that he had been beaten in a Duel by Sayer, the looks on Okita and Liquid's faces when Luna and I Dueled them, and Akiza's pained expression when she saw how much she hurt me during our first Duel. It was all to do with Sayer, but there was more to it than that. I had taken my anger out on everyone because of it. Akiza, the twins, Joel, Explosivo.

I brought my hands up and looked at the dried blood on them. I clenched my free hand, watching the blood pour out of the open sores. I had gone too far. I had reached the point where I was able to cause myself pain and not even think anything of it. That wasn't healthy. My state of mind wasn't healthy. _I_ wasn't healthy… I was insane…

I was a monster.

I dropped the sword, collapsing onto the ground, tears beginning to form in my eyes. I clumsily wiped my tears away as Sayer slowly stood back up.

"Pathetic…" Sayer muttered, causing me to cringe.

"Tyler…" Yusei murmured, before turning to Sayer. "Tell us what you did with the others!"

"Others?" Sayer asked.

"The ones who failed your 'initiation tests' into the Arcadia Movement. What did you do with them?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sayer replied nonchalantly.

"Don't screw with me, Sayer! Misty said she became a Dark Signer to get revenge on Akiza because she killed her little brother, Toby! Is that true?"

I frowned a little, thinking back to what I could remember of one of the last conversations I had heard between Seria and Sayer. Seria wanted Sayer to be careful because of what happened to the 'last one'… was that Toby?

So Misty was angry at Akiza because she thinks she killed her brother?

"Whatever Misty _chose_ to believe regarding her brother's death is her choice." Sayer answered, sidestepping the question. I took the opportunity to take my phone out of my pocket and use the voice recorder. If Sayer confessed to Yusei about his wrongdoings and I recorded it, then I could tell Misty, and then maybe she'd stop her Duel with Akiza.

"Answer me! I wanna know the truth about Misty's brother, Sayer!" Yusei yelled.

"I couldn't jeopardize the work of the Arcadia Movement." Sayer finally answered. "Akiza's troubled past made her the perfect scapegoat. Toby's telekinetic abilities were not up to the standard that the Arcadia Movement required. He was a pathetic child who could not withstand even the most harmless of experiments we were conducting." Sayer then turned to face me, although he didn't catch sight of me recording the conversation. "You, however, were rather skilled. At least while you were brainwashed anyway!"

"You won't get away with this!" Yusei growled.

"Won't I? See, your biggest mistake was stopping him from killing me." Sayer said, gesturing over to me. "Because now," Sayer began, drawing a card from his Deck as I looked up. "I'll make sure that you burn in Hell for all the trouble you've caused me!" Sayer held the card out and aimed it at Yusei.

Tremendous Fire.

Before Yusei could react, a pillar of fire shot out of the card straight at him. I quickly got up and pushed Yusei out of the way, taking the hit in exchange, blocking the stream with my Duel Disk.

Unfortunately, the force of the blast pushed me out of the room and off the balcony. As I fell to my apparent doom, it was as if time had slowed right down. It took all of my willpower not to scream as I lifted my arms up to keep my phone and slightly burnt Duel Disk safe.

It wasn't long before I came crashing down into the dome, landing with a thud near Misty's side of the field. "What in the…?" she asked, surprised.

The impact that my body felt was like nothing I had ever experienced. I luckily wasn't dead, but I wasn't far off either. My hands dropped to opposite sides of my body as I let out a gasp, desperately trying to breathe. I realized I could no longer feel my arms or legs.

"You…" Misty said, walking over to me. "You're that boy from the Arcadia Movement, aren't you?" she asked softly.

It took all my effort to nod, and even that was a struggle. "Pl…please listen, M-M-Misty…" I croaked. "It wasn't Akiza who… killed your brother, it… it was… S… Sayer…" I gasped. Misty's eyes widened as I continued. "Listen…" I said as loud as I could, which ended up being around the same volume as a whisper. "Pick up the phone and… press… play… p-please…" I begged. Misty did as I asked, picking up the phone and pressing play as she put the phone to her right ear to hear the recorded conversation between Sayer and Yusei better. "I know… how you feel…" I muttered. "I was put… through the same tests as your brother…"

When she finished, Misty bent down and gave the phone back to me, tears in her eyes. "Thank you. I now know the truth…"

"Sayer… is in the b… building a-across from you…" I struggled to explain.

"Sayer…" Misty spat, her black eyes widening as she looked up to where Sayer was. "I won't forgive you, you bastard!" Misty yelled. "Prepare yourself!"

"If you're going to get angry at anyone, get angry at your brother for being so pathetically weak to begin with." Sayer taunted.

"How dare you…! I'll make you eat those words!"

"What are you gonna do?" Sayer shouted down to her. "Send me to the Underworld?"

"No! Not even the residents of the Underworld deserve company like you! I've got a _better_ idea!" Misty smirked. "I sacrifice Reptilianne Scylla Dragon and my Queen of Tragic Endings to Summon Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua!"

All I could do was look on as Misty's dragon disappeared in a flash of light and was replaced by a giant black and green Reptilian abomination. The creature's massive eyes squared down on me for a few seconds before looking at Misty [ATK: 2800].

"Ccarayhua, take care of Sayer however you see fit!" Misty commanded. Ccarayhua reached down and grabbed Sayer by his head.

"How dare you! Put me d-" Sayer was unable to finish his sentence as Ccarayhua applied a minimal amount of pressure and squashed Sayer's head like a grape, blood splattering everywhere, before wrapping his gargantuan tongue around his body as he proceeded to swallow him whole.

In that moment, I was probably the happiest I had been in a long time. Although I wasn't able to kill Sayer, watching him die in such a horrific way reaffirmed my faith that he wouldn't come back from the dead this time. I could feel the restlessness in my soul die down as I closed my eyes and rested my head against the ground, waiting for the end to come.

"My dear brother… I hope wherever you are, you're looking down on me right now. Forgive me, Akiza. It wasn't your fault. I'm so sorry for blaming you for everything that happened. Perhaps… If I forfeit this Duel, I can atone for my sins." I heard Misty say.

I just continued to breathe in and out slowly, not bothering to open my eyes. I heard the rush of footsteps getting closer to me. I felt myself getting eased up into a seating position. "Tyler?! Are you alright? Please say something!" Akiza insisted.

I cracked a smile without bothering to open my eyes. "I'm fine…" I lied. "G-Go and seal the Control Unit… quickly, before-" I felt something in the back of my throat come up and flow into my mouth. I quickly swallowed whatever it was, which I thought would help. It didn't.

I eased myself away from Akiza, falling over as I began wheezing and spluttering onto the ground, my eyes opening in response. Aside from the phlegm I had just coughed up, I could barely make out Akiza's shadow on the ground. It couldn't be sunset already! "Quickly! Get to the Control Unit!" I begged. "Leave me here!"

"She won't make it in time…" Yusei's voice muttered. I realized that Yusei, Crow, Leo, Luna, Trudge and Mina had all gathered around Akiza and myself.

"We're too late…" Trudge added.

"Who cares?!" Crow asked. "We need to get Tyler some help, and fast!"

By this point, I had lost the ability to speak due to my pain, reduced to whimpering and grunting. It wasn't long before I collapsed once more as my body completely gave out.

"Tyler!" I heard Luna cry out, but it felt like she was miles away. I tried to say something, anything, but no sound came out. And then…

Darkness…


	15. The Final Countdown

"Tyler, awaken…" Explosivo's voice sounded in my head. My eyes shot open without even realizing.

I gasped as I adjusted to my new surroundings. I seemed to be standing in the middle of a barren wasteland that had deep orange fire spouting out of the ground, emitting a heat that was unlike anything I had ever felt before. "What is this?" I asked.

"This place goes by many names. Diyu, Erebus, Hell, Mictlan, to name a few…" Explosivo muttered, making himself known to me.

"So what does that mean? Am I dead?" I asked softly.

"No." Explosivo replied. "But you would be, had I not intervened."

"Then why I am I here?" I asked.

"To become better prepared." Explosivo explained (without really explaining). "You have knowledge but lack experience." I twitched slightly, Explosivo continuing. "I can tell that you're a little irritated, but just answer me this: How do you feel?"

"I, um…" I stammered, realizing now that the near-death injuries I had sustained had disappeared. "I feel fine!" I exclaimed. " _I feel fine_! This is so awesome! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're feeling better." Explosivo smiled. "However, the sun has set on the site of the reactor, and the King prepares for his ascent into your world."

"I know…" I muttered. "It's my fault. If I hadn't have tried fighting Sayer, I wouldn't have gotten injured, Akiza wouldn't have been distracted and she'd have been able to seal the Lizard's Control Unit and I wouldn't have ended up here."

Explosivo sighed. "In this moment right now, this is where you're meant to be."

"Oh…" I felt anger rise within me at Explosivo's words. "Is that right? So this was all just another one of your plans to _use_ me in some way, was it?!" I snapped.

Explosivo cocked his head to the side. "Would you rather I left you for dead?" he asked, but I gave him no response. "I thought so. Now, if I may continue, there is a Duelist who recently arrived here. He plans to open one of the Erebus Gates directly while the Gods are distracted. With that accomplished, he will be able to return to the realm of the living and assist the King of the Underworld in enslaving human and Duel Spirit alike."

"Well… that explains why I've still got my Duel Disk attached to me…" I mumbled, looking it over and noticing that it wasn't damaged at all. "So who is this Duelist?" I asked before my eyes widened. "Wait, is it Sayer? Because if it is, you don't need to say anything more! Just lead the way and I will fucking murder him! Wait, can you kill someone who's already dead? Ah, I don't care if you can't! I'd just like to have another crack at him! After all, I should've been the one to kill him!"

"It's not Sayer, but… I appreciate your enthusiasm…" Explosivo chuckled.

"Ah… Well, who is it then?"

"Roman Goodwin…" Explosivo replied.

"Shit, you're serious?!" I asked. Explosivo nodded. "Look, Yusei had plenty of trouble beating Roman, and he's a much better Duelist than I am. I can't beat Roman."

"Well, not with that attitude, you can't." Explosivo interjected.

"It's not about my attitude! He's got a freaking Earthbound Immortal, and all my cards are shit!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Alright, all of them _except_ you…"

Explosivo sighed. "You know, for someone who can talk to Duel Spirits, and who Duel Spirits can hear… maybe you shouldn't openly insult them."

"You _know_ what I mean!" I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. Explosivo gave me a condescending look. "Okay, okay, fine. Where is Roman?" I asked.

"There is a gate to the east of here. That's the one that Roman is attempting to reach. I can accompany you there to the gate, but I am unable to directly interfere with the Duel. Doing so would allow the other Earthbound Immortals who have already been defeated to lend their assistance to Roman as well." Explosivo explained. I just nodded hazily, not really paying attention. All I knew is I just had to defeat Roman alone. "Anyway, are we gonna get going, or what?"

"You lead the way…" I shrugged.

* * *

To say I was unnerved a little by my surroundings was an understatement. Pillars of crimson fire climbed up from the fractured earth and rose far above me, and out of my sight. The spirits of men, women and children walked aimlessly, silently. I knew what they were, they were Shades, but that didn't make me any less freaked out about them. Those who looked at me were either confused or angered by my presence or gracious for my presence.

"Don't worry." Explosivo assured me. "Even though some might look like they want to hurt you, they can't."

"You wouldn't let them?" I asked.

"Of course not. But even if I wasn't around, you'd be safe. They can't interact with you physically, unless you were dead as well… or they were given blood. So try not to prick yourself on anything."

I frowned, the two of us continuing to walk in silence until we made it to a river of black water, which I think was called the Acheron River. Okay, I really only knew that because there was a sign right by the river that said 'Acheron River', but still.

A Shade was resting in a boat near the shoreline. I noticed straight away that this one was different. He seemed to have a more natural appearance, and there was no distant look in his eyes. As soon as he saw us, he straightened himself up and greeted us. "Ah! I've never seen such an odd couple before!"

"Wh-what?!" I blushed. "W-we're not-"

"We need to get across the river, please." Explosivo said calmly.

The Ferryman looked at us for a few seconds. "Ah… yes… That explains why you're together… You're here to stop that troublemaker. I'll tell you what: I usually make people give me a gold coin to take them across to the other side. It usually doesn't take long to find some gold out here, but time is a luxury which we all can't afford right now. Even in this place where time doesn't flow in the same vein as what it does everywhere else, I can see the result that will occur if you do not do away with _him_. I'll take you both across, free of charge."

"That's very gracious of you." Explosivo bowed.

"Do not think anything of it." The Ferryman assured, leading us onto his boat. The boat made a creaking sound as Explosivo and I stepped onto it. The Ferryman could sense my uneasiness. "Don't worry. This boat of mine has carried those who are much heavier than yourselves." He then grabbed two oars and began to paddle them in the water, moving the boat along.

The waters were littered with two-headed serpents and monstrosities with the upper half of a horse and the lower half of a fish. I looked over at Explosivo, who was calmly taking in the sights, whereas I was close to shitting myself by just being this close to these things. Explosivo was right: I may have (somehow) had some knowledge on the Underworld and what it contained, and I still wasn't sure how that was apparent, but when it came down to it, I was just like everyone else. I had no experience in the matter.

It wasn't long before the boat dug into the rough, black soil. "Here we are!" The Ferryman chimed. "Do you know where to go from here?"

"Yes." Explosivo answered. "We'll be fine, don't worry…" Explosivo and I got off the boat and planted our feet into the ground that was both dead and yet, strangely, full of life.

"Take care then." The Ferryman said, before turning his boat around and setting off across the river once more, leaving Explosivo and I to our own devices.

"This way…" Explosivo muttered. I followed quickly behind him, until he stopped at a clearing, separated by a cliff. "This is as far as I can go. Only mortals can enter past this point. Roman should be on the other side."

I nodded. "Well, thanks for getting me here safely."

"It's no trouble, just kick his ass for me!" Explosivo laughed.

I smiled and turned to the clearing, before looking down at my feet to make sure I didn't step on any taproots.

Sure enough, I caught sight of a giant gate outlined with bronze, with Roman walking towards it.

"Hold it right there, Roman!" I shouted. Roman twitched, before turning back to me.

"Y-You…!" is all Roman said, as he was obviously surprised to see anyone out here.

"Aw… Come on!" I pouted. "Don't you remember my name? I remembered yours!" I teased.

"You never told me your name, not that I care. I have far more pressing matters to attend to, if you'll excuse me…" Roman sighed, before turning back in the direction of the gate.

"Aren't you even gonna ask how I got here?" I asked.

"I presume you died." Roman bluntly said.

"Nope!"

I could tell that Roman was getting fed up with me being around him, not that it should've stopped him in hindsight from just ignoring me, opening the gate and walking through. It did stop him though.

Roman turned off from the path to the Adamantine Gate and back towards me.

"Why are you here all alone anyway?" Roman asked. I didn't answer, instead showing him my Duel Disk, causing a grin to appear on his face. "You want to Duel me? Do you really think you can win?" Roman asked.

"Wow! You're pretty overconfident for a dead guy." I retorted.

"And you're pretty overconfident for someone who's not even a Signer!" Roman snapped.

I just smiled. It was obvious that Roman had taken it hard losing to Yusei and all.

"Look, are we gonna do this or what?" I asked. Roman closed his eyes for a while, as if focusing on something.

"The final ritual may not be taking place for a while, but that doesn't mean I'll take my time toying around with you! Time is still key to this entire war!"

Roman started walking backward while facing me, to make space for a Dueling field. "What final ritual?" I asked.

"That need not concern you! You'll soon be dead, so it won't matter!" Roman yelled.

"We'll see…" I murmured, both of us raising our Duel disks up.

"Duel!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Roman: 4000 LP]

"I'll start, and since time is of the essence, I'm activating Final Countdown!" Roman shouted as a bright purple fire surrounded him. "Now, if you're somehow still standing at the end of twenty turns, I am granted an automatic victory!" [Turn Count: 20].

[Roman: 2000 LP]

I twitched. Dealing with time constraints was never something I was good at. I knew I had to defeat Roman as quickly as possible, but now… twenty turns…?

"I'll end my turn by activating two Dian Keto the Cure Master and Setting a monster face-down." [Turn Count: 19].

[Roman: 4000 LP]

I smiled as I drew my card. See, I had been so caught up in what Roman was doing, that I didn't bother to check what cards I had my hand. "There's one advantage I have over you, Roman!" I shouted.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"I saw your Deck when you Dueled Yusei. I know what you've got in your Deck, but you have no idea what I've got in mine!"

"Just because you know what cards I have, doesn't mean you'll be able to beat me!" Roman asserted.

"No? I activate Prohibition! And I select Earthbound Immortal Uru as my target!" I said, flinging my hand forward for emphasis. "Next, I activate Soul Exchange, which lets me sacrifice your defensive monster to summon out Dark Magician Girl!" The blonde-haired magician quickly appeared on my side of the field and blew Roman a kiss, before she took up a stance, readying herself for battle [ATK: 2000]. "Finally, I activate Magical Blast, which deals two hundred damage to you for every Spellcaster I have out."

Dark Magician Girl pointed her wand at Roman, before firing off a purple blast, which struck him in the chest.

[Roman: 3800 LP]

"Your move…" I gestured to Roman [Turn Count: 18].

"I'll place one card face-down. That's all." Roman said all too smugly [Turn Count: 17].

I quietly drew. "I see what you're doing." I said, causing Roman's eyes to widen with interest. "The card you've Set is Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, isn't it?"

Roman stayed silent, not letting me know if I was right or not. Nevertheless, I continued. "Really though, it doesn't matter what card it is, because I'm gonna beat you this turn!"

"Prove it!" Roman taunted.

"Gladly! I activate Sage's Stone, which lets me automatically Summon a Dark Magician in my deck if I've got one." I showed Roman the red and blue outfitted Spellcaster before placing the card vertically in my Duel Disk. The magician appeared and pointed his staff directly at Roman [Dark Magician: ATK: 2500]. "Don't worry though, I'm not done yet. Next, I activate Knight's Title, which transforms my Dark Magician into Dark Magician Knight!" I shouted as Dark Magician's clothing morphed into red and blue-tinted armor. His staff disappeared only to be replaced by a wand [Dark Magician Knight: ATK: 2500].

"So what's the difference?" Roman asked, unimpressed by my display.

"There's a big one. See Dark Magician Knight comes with a very nifty special ability. When he's Summoned, I can automatically target and destroy one card on the field!" I grinned.

"Wh-what?"

"I'll destroy your face-down card!" I said, pointing to it.

Roman watched on with a look of abhor as the card disintegrated right before his eyes. "Oh, I forgot to mention that since the original Dark Magician is in the Graveyard, Dark Magician Girl's attack increases by three hundred." [Dark Magician Girl: ATK: 2300].

"N-no… This can't be what fate has in store for me…! To lose to a non-Signer…" Roman muttered.

"If you think a mark is what makes you powerful, you're a fool! Attack!" I ordered. Both my monsters complied and took turns attacking Roman, who could only scream in pain before collapsing on the floor.

[Roman: 0 LP]

"Ugh…! How could a non-Signer like you be so powerful…?" Roman asked as my monsters faded away. I gave Roman a look of disgust, as if everything I just said to him went in one ear and out the other.

"You really-"

"It doesn't matter now!" Roman began laughing wildly. "I can feel it! The King has entered into the realm of the living!"

"What?!" I asked.

"It's only a matter of time… All you can do now is cower in fear as the world comes to an end!" Roman said, before collapsing onto the ground once again.

Almost directly following that, the ground started to shake, and a bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout my head. I clutched the sides of my head in pain as I shut my eyes tightly. And then…

Light…


	16. Come Clarity

"Where are we?" Akiza's voice asked. I hesitantly opened my eyes and saw that I was standing behind Akiza and Mina at the front gate of Goodwin's mansion, but neither of them had noticed me yet. Honestly, I wasn't even sure if this was real or just another vision or flashback or something.

"Uh, guys…?" I asked. As soon as both girls heard my voice, they gasped and turned to me.

"Tyler! What are you doing here? We thought you had-" Mina began.

I shook my head. "Nah, it'll take more than a fall from building to kill me, apparently. Where are the others?" I asked.

"We don't know…" Akiza muttered. "There was a flash of light and now Mina and I are here with you."

"I figured you'd show up here sooner or later!" A voice called out. We all looked ahead of us as a short man dressed in cloaked formal attire stepped out of the shadows cast by an ever-darkening sky. He had pale white face-paint and dark red lipstick on, which caused some weird thoughts to run through my head.

"You're…!" Mina trailed off.

"What is it, Mina?" I asked.

"That's Lazar Jaeger! He leads the Special Investigation Team at Sector Security. I wonder what he's doing here, and if he knows anything…" Mina trailed off once more.

"Hmm… looks like we're missing a few people. And we even have two non-Signers in the bunch!" Lazar observed. "It seems like the power of the Crimson Dragon is becoming a little… _unstable_ …"

"What are you talking about?!" Akiza asked.

"You'd like to know what's happening to this world, _wouldn't_ you?" Lazar slyly said. "Well, the answers you seek lie just beyond this gate. But first, you'll have to prove to me that you're worthy of entering!"

"Let me guess… in a Duel, right?" I asked.

"In that case, I'll fight…" Akiza piped up. "I need to…" Akiza then doubled over in pain. She must've taken more damage in her Duel with Misty than she let on.

"Akiza!" Mina shouted, running to her side. "Save your strength. You don't have the energy to fight yet…" Mina cooed, before turning to me. "Tyler, please Duel him…" she pleaded, "you're the only one who can take him on right now."

"Okay…" I whispered, turning to Lazar. "I'll be facing you!" I shouted.

"Very well. And I suppose if a non-Signer like yourself is capable of defeating me, then I'll allow the rest of you entry into the mansion as well." Lazar activated his Duel Disk. "Let's get right to the point. Show me your true power!"

" _Duel_!"

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Lazar: 4000 LP]

"I Set one monster in Defense Position, and place two cards face-down. Now let's see what a non-Signer like yourself can do!" Lazar taunted.

"A lot more than you just did!" I jested. "I Set one card face-down and summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode!" The black-robed magician appeared at my side, staff in hand, ready to strike [ATK: 1900]. "Next, I activate Magical Blast! This means-"

"I know what it means!" Lazar shouted. "Honestly, it's like you're explaining this to someone who's never _played_ before!"

"Well, you don't look like a regular player, what with all the makeup and everything." I pointed out. "Besides, how am _I_ supposed to know if you've played against a Spellcaster Deck before?"

"Tyler!" Mina shouted. "Lazar may not look like it to you, but he's a very powerful Duelist!"

"Stronger than Roman?" I asked, turning back to her.

"The Director's brother…? W-well… I'm not…" Mina trailed off. "No… I don't suppose so…"

"Well, then I've already won." I said bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Akiza asked.

"I met with Roman, in the Underworld… He was no trouble at all. Of course, I have Yusei to thank for that. After all, he Dueled Roman before me and I was able to get a look at his deck. Believe you me, Roman was nothing! A rank amateur at best. If you surrender and let us pass, you'll be doing yourself a favor." I know, I was being overly cocky. To be honest, I was banking on this guy that he would surrender. I knew nothing about his deck, and I wasn't sure that I could win.

"If there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I never give up!" Lazar shouted proudly. "I reveal Dark Bribe, to negate Magical Blast!" Lazar flung his hand out as my card fizzled away and I drew a new one from my deck.

"Fine. I'll Set the card I just drew face-down and attack your defense monster with Skilled Dark Magician!" I shouted. My monster complied, using his staff to blast at Lazar's monster, a Set Jester Queen [DEF: 800], which was destroyed instantly. "I end my turn."

"Here I come!" Lazar jovially said, drawing his card. "I activate Dark Room of Nightmare! In addition, I'll Set a monster and place one card face-down. I now end my turn."

"Since you activated a Spell Card, Skilled Dark Magician gets a Spell Counter." [Spell Counters: 1] "I'll also take back Magical Blast from my Graveyard instead of drawing this turn. Next, I summon Gemini Elf!" The scantly-dressed elf twins appeared on the opposite side of my other monster, before turning to face Lazar [ATK: 1900]. "Now, I activate Magical Blast, dealing damage to you while also giving my Skilled Dark Magician another Spell Counter [Skilled Dark Magician: Spell Counters: 2].

[Lazar: 3600 LP]

"Attack!" I shouted.

"Not so fast!" Lazar shouted dramatically. "Allow me to introduce you to my Trap Card, Waboku! As I'm sure you know, Waboku reduces all damage you inflict to zero."

Three robed women materialized in front of my monsters, causing them to edge back slightly. "Your turn…" I sighed.

Lazar's grin grew wide as he drew his card. "I sacrifice both of your monsters to summon Lava Golem to your side of the field in Defense Mode!"

My eyes widened as both of my monsters disappeared and a steel cage formed around me. "God damn it…" I muttered [Lava Golem: DEF: 2500].

"I'll end my turn at that…" Lazar grinned.

"Then for this turn, I draw." taking a card from my Deck, I narrowly dodged some falling lava from the monster behind me.

[Tyler: 3000 LP]

"Tyler!" Mina and Akiza shouted.

"Ahem… Is there a problem?" Lazar taunted. I sighed. "Well if there _isn't_ one _yet_ , the effect of Dark Room of Nightmare may prove to be one _now_."

I looked on as Lava Golem's shadow grew, covering me as I was overcome with a faint dizziness.

[Tyler: 2700 LP]

"Okay…" I cringed. "I switch Lava Golem to attack mode [ATK: 3000] and Summon Rapid-Fire Magician!" I shouted as the robed man appeared and various elements appeared around him [ATK: 1600]. "Rapid-Fire, attack Lazar's Set card, and Lava Golem, attack directly!"

My Rapid-Fire Magician easily took out Lazar's Set Monster – Jester Lord [DEF: 0], and Lava Golem knocked Lazar to the ground with a sweep of one of its hands.

[Lazar: 600 LP]

Lazar shakily stood back up, clutching his shoulder. "I may have underestimated you."

"I gave you the chance to give up early, but that offer's off the table now. I end my turn…" I muttered.

Lazar weakly drew from his Deck, before placing whatever card he drew face-down. "Go…" he murmured.

"Then I draw…" I began, sidestepping out of the way to avoid more falling lava.

[Tyler: 1700 LP]

"…and activate Heavy Storm to clear the field!" I shouted as Lazar went bug-eyed, his last line of defense obliterated. "Rapid-Fire… Attack!"

Rapid-Fire's elements circled his body, slowly increasing in speed until a wave was unleashed that knocked Lazar back onto the ground.

[Lazar: 0 LP]

As our monsters and cards on the field faded away, Lazar quickly stood back up, wiping the dust off of his clothes. "That was quite the Duel! I think you just might be good enough!" he chuckled.

Lazar then simply walked right on passed us. I think all of us were too stunned by Lazar's actions to even say or do anything at that point.

"What was _that_ all about…?" Akiza asked.

I could feel a slight tremor in the ground, which soon increased in magnitude to a full-blown earthquake. As quickly as it began, it ended, and Akiza, Mina and I looked at each other with puzzled expressions on our faces.

"What's going on?!" Mina shouted. Honestly, I was getting sick of all the earthquakes, and the flashing lights, and the monsters, and the screaming. I mean really, I'd had enough for one day!

"Look! Goodwin's mansion!" Akiza said, pointing to it.

I turned, and up past the gate I could see that Goodwin's mansion was now several hundred storeys higher, with a majestic stone staircase preceding it.

I heard the rushing of footsteps behind me. I turned and saw Yusei and Trudge heading towards us.

"What's happening?!" Yusei asked once having caught up to Mina. Mina simply pointed to the mansion once more, causing Yusei's eyes to widen. "That's the temple that was beneath the mansion…?"

"The temple suddenly started rising when Tyler beat Lazar in a Duel." Akiza explained.

"Tyler?" Yusei asked, before turning to me. "Y-you're alive! What happened?! In the light, we all-"

"I went to the Underworld, like you Yusei." I said.

"You did?"

I nodded. "I defeated Roman in a Duel while I was down there-"

"Roman was there?!" Yusei asked, visibly shocked.

"Yeah, don't worry though. He was real easy to take down. I'd even say Lazar was harder. Anyway, right after my Duel with Roman, I heard this incredibly loud scream and I was blinded by a flash of light. Next thing I know, I'm standing at the front of the mansion with these two lovely ladies." I explained. Both Akiza and Mina blushed slightly at the end of my explanation, but I saw Trudge get a little angry at my remark. I noticed then that Trudge did seem a little different when he was with Mina. A crush perhaps, I thought.

"Lazar appeared at the gate to test us, but Akiza was still a bit drained from her Duel with Misty, so Tyler Dueled instead." Mina explained. "I didn't realize that you were such a good Duelist!" Mina smiled, turning to me.

It was my turn to blush. "Thanks…" I murmured shyly.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Akiza muttered.

"Luna and Leo aren't here?" Trudge asked.

"I thought they were with you guys!" I shouted.

"They disappeared in the flash of light. So did Crow and Jack." Trudge said.

"So we're all split up…" I muttered.

"They may have been teleported somewhere by the power of the Crimson Dragon." Yusei hypothesized. "For now, let's go check out that temple, Tyler."

I nodded, before straightening myself up.

"Tetsu, you guys stay here." Yusei ordered.

"Yusei?!" Trudge shouted, sounding flabbergasted.

"We don't know what might be in there. Plus, Luna, Leo, Jack, and Crow might arrive here soon." Yusei said.

"Alright…" Trudge mumbled.

Yusei walked up to me and sighed. "Are you ready to go in?"

"Only _Hell_ yeah!" I shouted, causing Yusei to chuckle lightly.

"Tyler…" Yusei muttered. "If anything bad happens in there, I want you to know that you've been a great friend. I'm sorry that we weren't able to help you get your memories back."

"No biggie!" I assured him. "All the stuff that's happening right now will make pretty good memories, I reckon. And I'm sorry that I acted so rash back there with Sayer. To be honest, I'm not exactly proud of how I acted then. To be even _more_ honest, I am. But that doesn't change the fact that what I tried to do was wrong. You were right, Yusei…"

"Wow…" Yusei muttered.

"What?" I asked.

"I could never forgive Roman for what he's done. Even just thinking about all of the things he's done… You're a better person than I am."

"Well that's just _not_ true…" I muttered.

"Well, Tyler, if I may ask, what made you change your mind about how you felt?" Yusei asked.

"Well," I began, trying to think of the best words to say, "it's either laugh or cry, and I'm done crying."

Yusei smiled as Akiza ran over to us. "Akiza?"

"Wait up! I'm coming too!" Akiza insisted.

"Okay." Yusei said as both his and Akiza's Signer Marks lit up. Immediately after that, the front gate of Goodwin's mansion unlocked itself.

Without another word, Akiza and Yusei walked through the gate and headed towards the temple. As for me, I had this weird feeling that once I walked through that gate, I wouldn't be able to return.

I closed my eyes, before breathing in and out slowly. When I opened my eyes, I began walking through the gate to meet with Akiza and Yusei at the foot of the temple.


	17. Smiling Faces Sometimes

I met with Yusei and Akiza at the water fountain, the dark red sky slowly turning pitch-black. Luckily, a strong source of light was emitting from both Yusei and Akiza's Signer Marks. I slowly walked up to them, whilst taking in the sights. "So, this is really the temple that used to be underground?" Yusei asked.

"The temple… it looks ancient, probably of Mesoamerican origin…" I muttered.

"I wonder why it chose now to surface…" Akiza murmured.

Akiza, Yusei and I became silent as we saw a while-haired, well-dressed man walk down the staircase. It might just have been me, but I swore that I could hear Latin chanting in the distance.

As the figure got closer, I realized that it was Rex Goodwin, the one who'd tasked us with defeating the Dark Signers, and who was now standing at the summit of the stairway. "I've been waiting for you." Goodwin said calmly, still keeping both hands behind his back. "I see that not everyone is here yet. Oh well, I'm sure they'll arrive at the appointed time."

"Goodwin! What's going on here?!" Yusei shouted as he, Akiza and I ran up to him. "I heard the door to the Underworld was about to open…"

"You are correct, Yusei." Once again, Goodwin spoke very calmly. "Fortunately, it's too late for you to stop it."

" _Fortunately_ …?" I mumbled. Goodwin made it seem like it was a good thing that we failed.

"But then, that means…" Akiza trailed off.

"Yes," Goodwin nodded, "this world is finished." He said simply. We all gasped. I wasn't so much in shock about the coming of Armageddon. I was more in shock over how Goodwin could be so calm. He had the same demeanor that he did back when we first visited his mansion. "The King of the Underworld is heading towards this temple at this very moment." Goodwin explained.

"What do you mean?!" Yusei shouted.

"I mean," Goodwin began as a smile swept across his face, "I summoned him here. You see, this temple is the site of the sacred ritual that was once used to welcome him. I plan to re-enact the ritual and complete the divine summoning."

"No way… Goodwin, you…!" Yusei shouted.

"You tricked us!?" Akiza added.

"Son of a bitch…" I mumbled.

Goodwin turned back to face the temple ever so briefly. "Do you see now? Yes, all is going _precisely_ according to plan. To successfully perform the ritual, I used the power of the Crimson Dragon to summon you Signers here." Goodwin turned to Yusei. "Unfortunately, the Crimson Dragon's power has been dispersed and is therefore currently incomplete…"

"Why are you doing this?!" Akiza yelled.

"The King never needed the power of the Dark Signers _or_ the Earthbound Immortals to escape his Hellish Prison. Thankfully though, they served their purpose to preoccupy each of you until I could get my plan into motion. As for why, dear Akiza, I don't expect someone like _you_ to understand my reasons for doing this…" Goodwin spat, the color of his eyes turning pitch-black, becoming similar to Devack's, Kalin's, and Misty's. "However, if you take a look at _this_ , then perhaps maybe you can _begin_ to fathom the scope of my reasoning…" Goodwin then proceeded to take off his suit and collared shirt. We just stood there stunned, until Goodwin's now shirtless body began to glow. Then a Dark Signer Mark made its way down from Goodwin's face, to his chest, and presumably across his whole body. "Do you see now?!" he asked.

"That's a… so… you're a…?" Yusei trailed off. Goodwin just laughed.

"Enough of the idle chit-chat. I think it's time that we commence the ritual, don't you?"

"Goodwin! Why?! Why are you doing this?!" Yusei persisted in asking.

"If you want to know the answer to that question, you'll first have to defeat me in a Duel!" Goodwin shouted.

"A Duel?" Akiza asked.

"That's right. However, since there are three of you, defeating you one at a time would prove to be too tedious and troublesome… So why don't I just take all three of you down together?!" Goodwin shouted.

"A three-on-one Duel?" Yusei asked.

"Are you up for it?" Goodwin taunted.

"Leave Tyler out of this! He's not a Signer! He shouldn't have to fight you!" Akiza shouted defensively.

"He already got himself involved when he assisted Luna in taking down Devack and when he defeated my brother in Hell."

"You know about that?" I asked.

Goodwin nodded. "As far as I'm concerned, you're as much a part of this war as Yusei and Akiza!"

"Well, if that's how you feel, then I _will_ Duel!" I shouted, causing both Yusei's and Akiza's eyed to widen. "However, my condition is that you leave _Akiza_ out of this!"

"Why would you, a regular, pathetic human, want to take the place of a Signer?" Goodwin asked.

"Because, I…" I trailed off, "I promised myself that I wouldn't let anything happen to her!"

"Tyler…" Akiza muttered.

"Akiza is one of the only people that I have memories of. She's also one of my most treasured friends!" I shouted, turning to Akiza. "So I'll gladly risk my life to protect you…"

"That's an honorable request… but also a _stupid_ one…" Goodwin muttered. "Though, if you _really_ wish to die in her place, that's perfectly fine with me. You'll all end up together anyway."

"You don't have to do this, Tyler!" Akiza shouted.

"Yes I do…" I murmured. "I have to do this for you, Luna, Okita, Liquid, Joel and all of the Duel Spirits. I made a promise that I wouldn't let anything happen to you. And I'm not about to break a promise!" I grinned.

"Well then," Goodwin began, drawing our attention back to him. "Since it's the two of you against me, I'll start with sixteen thousand Life Points."

" _Sixteen thousand_?! That hardly seems fair!" I protested.

"Do we have any other choice than to do what he says…?" Yusei asked.

"I suppose you're right…" I murmured. "And Yusei, what I said, you're still my friend. I'm not disputing that, but I made a promise within myself that I need to keep. And to walk away from a Duel is forfeit. For Joel, I won't forfeit!"

"Tyler-" Yusei began.

"I'm sure that you consider me a friend on a much deeper level than I do you, but you have to understand why."

"I do, and I want you to know that you'll always be my friend no matter what."

"Thanks, Yusei…" I muttered.

"Are you two done talking?" Goodwin asked, sounding slightly irritated.

"Tyler, in Tag Duels, the combination of you and your partner is the most important thing! Let's show Goodwin what we've got!"

"Right!" I nodded.

Yusei and I proceeded to pump our fists into the air as we activated our Duel Disks.

"Be careful you two!" Akiza shouted, stepping back to allow us to have more room to Duel.

"Duel!"

[Tyler & Yusei: 8000 LP]  
[Goodwin: 16000 LP]

"I shall begin this Duel…" Goodwin muttered as he drew. "I Set one card face-down and Summon one monster face-down. I end my turn."

"Yusei, you take the first move for our team." I insisted.

"Okay." Yusei drew. "I'll place a monster face-down and one Set card as well. Your move, Goodwin!"

"Then I'll Set another card and Summon Giant Germ in Attack Mode!" A huge ball of filth seemed to rise up out of nowhere [ATK: 1000] "Next, I reveal my Set monster, Mystic Tomato!" A mutant tomato materialized on the field and stuck its tongue out at me, causing me to edge back [ATK: 1400]. "Attack Yusei's monster!" Goodwin ordered.

"I reveal my Trap Card, Mirror Force!" Yusei shouted.

I sighed as a reflective barrier formed around Yusei's card as Goodwin's monsters collided into it, destroying them.

"I end my turn…" Goodwin muttered.

I felt my body begin to shake uncontrollably. I knew this would be the toughest Duel I'd ever have to fight in, and I couldn't afford to screw up and drag Yusei down.

"What's wrong? Run out of options so soon?" Goodwin asked, noticing my plight.

No sweat, Tyler. No sweat. At least that's what I told myself. "I draw…" I mumbled, shakily drawing my card. "I activate Heavy Storm to destroy your face-downs!" A cyclone brewed and swept Goodwin's Set cards away, leaving him defenseless. "Next, I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard!" I threw the card on the Duel Disk as the elfin warrior appeared, sword in hand [ATK: 1400]. "Attack directly!" I shouted.

I watched as the warrior jumped into the air and brought his sword down on Goodwin's neck. I was slightly unnerved to find that he didn't even flinch from the blow.

[Goodwin: 14600 LP]

"Nice!" Yusei cheered.

I smiled from the praise. "I'll finish off by placing one card face-down. Your move."

Goodwin casually drew. "All I shall do for this turn is Set one monster."

"Then it's my move!" Yusei shouted. "Obnoxious Celtic Guard, _attack_!"

My monster looked to me for approval and I gave a quick nod. He turned back and sliced Goodwin's card in half.

"Fool! The monster you destroyed was Giant Germ! Now, not only will you take damage to your Life Points,"

[Tyler & Yusei: 7500 LP]

"But I'll _also_ be able to Special Summon _another_ Giant Germ to my field!" Goodwin finished, another disgusting brown ball appearing on his side of the field [ATK: 1000].

"Then I'll Set a monster and end my turn…" Yusei growled.

"For my turn, I shall Set one monster, and switch Giant Germ to Defense Mode." Goodwin gently moved the cards around on his Duel Disk [DEF: 100]. "Make your move."

I drew my card and looked at it with a smile.

Explosivo.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to Summon him without sacrificing other High-Level Monsters first, so I decided to keep him in my hand for the moment and use an alternate strategy. "I Summon Defender, the Magical Knight!" I shouted. The caped magician with the massive shield made himself known, and I took it upon myself to go on the offensive [ATK: 1600, Spell Counters: 1]. "Obnoxious Celtic Guard, attack Giant Germ!" I shouted. Once again, the huge ball of muck was destroyed, and we took damage due to its destruction.

[Tyler & Yusei: 7000 LP]

"Defender, attack Goodwin's Set card." I called again, Defender's dagger piercing through the card, revealing Spirit Reaper [DEF: 200].

"Spirit Reaper cannot be destroyed in battle." Goodwin stated plainly.

"That's fine. I end my turn…" I murmured as Goodwin drew his card.

"I activate the Field Spell Card known as Terraforming. This card allows me to add Mausoleum of the Emperor to my hand. Finally, I Set one card in my Field Spell Zone."

"My turn. I switch Defender to Defense Mode and end." Yusei shouted bluntly [Defender, the Magical Knight: DEF: 2000].

"I Set one card face-down and reveal my Mausoleum of the Emperor!" Goodwin shouted.

Ahead of us, a great fire materialized around the temple and the ground shook once more.

"Wh-what is this?!" Akiza asked.

Goodwin smiled. "As part of Mausoleum's effect, I pay two thousand Life Points, to Summon the Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca!"

[Goodwin: 12600 LP]

Yusei, Akiza and I watched in horror as the giant monster appeared and flew up high into the sky, before perching itself at the top of the temple [ATK: 1].

I heard Akiza scream. I looked behind and saw that she was now on her knees, clutching her arm tightly. Yusei seemed to be in pain too. Both their Signer Marks were burning brighter than I'd ever seen. I realized quickly that Goodwin's Earthbound Immortal was unlike any of the others I had seen, and I cringed.

I turned to Yusei. "Yusei, what do we do?"

"You do _nothing_!" Goodwin asserted. "I activate the effect of Wiraqocha Rasca, sending my Set card back to my Deck to discard a card from either one of your hands… So, Yusei… Discard the card on your left." He smiled. Yusei did as he was told and sent the card in his hand to the Graveyard. Honestly, I was very relieved that Goodwin didn't target me. If he had have, I knew that I'd probably end up discarding Explosivo, which was the only card in my Deck that stood any chance of even putting up a fight against Goodwin's Earthbound Immortal. "Now that your card has been discarded, Wiraqocha Rasca's Attack Points increase." Goodwin stated [Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca: ATK: 1001].

"Oh _no_!" Akiza cried.

"But I'm not going to attack you this turn, Yusei. No… my Earthbound Immortal has a very powerful special effect, you see. By skipping my Battle Phase, I can cut your Life Points down to one!" Goodwin explained.

" _What_?!"

"Go, Wiraqocha Rasca! Show the Signers your power!" Goodwin yelled. I could do nothing but watch as Yusei was struck down by the mighty beast. When the dust cleared, I saw that Yusei was breathing heavily and had forced one of his eyes shut.

[Tyler & Yusei: 1 LP]

"Yusei!" Akiza shouted, greatly concerned.

"You're okay, right?" I added.

"Y… yeah…" Yusei murmured not at all convincingly.

"I'll end my turn at that." Goodwin smiled.

I drew, now more determined than ever to beat Goodwin. "I Set two cards face-down. Next, I'll activate Monster Reborn to revive Yusei's Ghost Gardna!" [DEF: 1900] "Next, I sacrifice Ghost Gardna and Obnoxious Celtic Guard to Summon Dark Magician!" The blue and red-dressed Spellcaster appeared before pointing his staff at Goodwin [ATK: 2500]. "Next, I reveal my face-down Mind Control!" I shouted. "I choose Spirit Reaper as my target!"

I pointed at Spirit Reaper as he began to melt. I knew that by targeting Spirit Reaper, I could destroy it.

"So you hang on to a _thread_?" Goodwin asked incredulously.

"I activate Knight's Title!" I continued, ignoring Goodwin. Dark Magician's clothing morphed into blue and red-tinted armor, his staff disappearing to be replaced with a sword [Dark Magician Knight: ATK: 2500]. "Then I use Dark Magician Knight's ability to destroy Wiraqocha Rasca!"

Dark Magician Knight leapt high into the air as his sword cut clean through Goodwin's Earthbound Immortal, leaving him with nothing. Yusei and Akiza's Signer Marks dimmed immediately.

"Amazing…" Akiza muttered. "Tyler took down Goodwin's ultimate monster."

"Attack Goodwin directly!" I shouted, Dark Magician Knight pivoted around, stabbing Goodwin in the chest with his sword. This time, Goodwin reacted noticeably, blood oozing out of his chest. I smiled.

[Goodwin: 10100 LP]

Goodwin recoiled, hammering out desperate breaths. "Lucky move…" he muttered.

"I'll stop there…" I told him.

Goodwin drew slowly, obviously thinking through every possible move, due to the situation I put him in. "I'll Set a monster, and a face-down. Your move, Yusei."

At this point in the Duel, I was delighted to have been able to take down Goodwin's ace monster. I was sure that Yusei would be able to carry on from the awesome play that I made and defeat Goodwin.

"I sacrifice one of my two Set monsters to Summon Turret Warrior in Defense Mode!" Yusei shouted as the massive monster appeared in front of him and assumed a crouching position [DEF: 2000]. "That's it…" Yusei muttered.

I sighed quietly to myself. Yusei must've gotten a bad draw, that's all. I denied myself the possibility that Yusei was running out of options.

"My, my, Yusei. Running on empty?" Goodwin chuckled. "I reveal my face-down Lightning Vortex, which-"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there," I piped up. "I activate Magic Jammer, discarding a card from my hand to negate your spell." I slid Explosivo into my Graveyard as Goodwin's lightning bolts froze and shattered like glass.

"Very well… I end my turn…" Goodwin murmured.

I excitedly drew, already having mapped everything out in my head.

"Tyler looks so…" Akiza trailed off.

"I reveal Call of the Haunted!" I shouted, flinging my hand out for emphasis as my Set card rose up. I supposed I would have to finish Goodwin off on my own. "I'm sure you know what this card does, so I'll just cut to the chase." I flung my hand forward. "Come forth, The Embodiment of Light - Explosivo!" I shouted.

The armored warrior who was also my spirit companion materialized beside me, sword resting on his shoulder. He turned back to me and gave me a thumbs up, while I nodded to him silently.

"I discard thirty-four cards from my deck to give Explosivo his Attack Points for this turn." I stated, picking up the rest of my Deck and putting it into the Graveyard, bit by bit [The Embodiment of Light - Explosivo: ATK: 10200].

"Dark Magician Knight, attack Goodwin's defending monster!" I shouted, my knight doing just that, slicing through Goodwin's Set Monster [Supay: DEF: 100]. "…And now… Explosivo," I turned to him, "would you do me the _honor_ of getting rid of the rest of his Life Points for us?"

Explosivo just chuckled, turned to Goodwin and ran his sword through his chest before anyone could say another word. Goodwin dropped to the ground as Explosivo pulled his sword out of his body.

[Goodwin: 0 LP]

The cards on the field faded away as a silence took hold. There was no more Latin chanting. Goodwin wasn't even breathing.

"Is he…?" Akiza asked just as Goodwin's body twitched and his eyes shot open.

Goodwin stood back up and smiled, which freaked me out a bit, considering he had been stabbed in the chest _twice_ and survived, not even seeming just a little bit phased by everything. "Not bad. I see you're _quite_ strong… Which means you'll make an even more delectable sacrifice for the King of the Underworld!"

"What?!" Yusei shouted. " _That's_ the only reason you agreed to Duel us?"

"But of course, Yusei. The energy of both a powerful Duelist and a Signer are needed in order to initiate the ritual." Goodwin explained. So I was used because I was a powerful Duelist? I didn't know whether to feel insulted for being used or be flattered that Goodwin thought I was a powerful Duelist.

Eventually, I decided to go with being flattered.

We all covered our eyes as a white light temporarily blinded us. When I opened my eyes, I saw that Goodwin was no longer standing in front of us. Instead, Goodwin was now standing a fair way's away, at the top of the temple. "Ah, how perfect… It seems as if the others have arrived as well." I heard Goodwin say. Somehow, although Goodwin was so very far away, I could easily hear his voice.

"Others?" I asked.

"Hey, everybody!" Akiza shouted, motioning to us.

I turned around too, just noticing then that we were in the company of Jack, Crow, Leo, Luna, Trudge and Mina. Yusei's, Crow's and Jack's Duel Runners were also here now as well. As soon as Luna saw me, she burst into tears, ran up to me and hugged me tightly, burying her face in my chest. "L-Luna?!" I stammered.

"Thank _goodness_ you're alright, Tyler! I thought you were a goner! That you… you…" Luna trailed off, sobbing all the while.

Leo then ran up to me as well. "We thought you died!" Leo continued on from where Luna left off, although he didn't need to.

"Nah, don't worry about it." I assured them, putting a hand to Luna's head as I knelt down to her eye level. "I'm fine, honest."

"Yusei? Tyler? What the…?!" Trudge exclaimed.

"Tetsu!" Yusei shouted, turning to face the group. "The Crimson Dragon must've brought you all here…" he muttered.

"Hey," Crow began, pointing to the staircase, or more accurately, the figure standing on top of it. "Isn't that…" he trailed off.

" _Director_?!" Mina asked, astonished.

"What's going on here?!" Jack barked.

"It was Goodwin that was trying to summon the King of the Underworld." Akiza explained, causing everyone besides herself, Yusei and I to gasp in complete and utter shock.

"So _he_ was the bad guy?! I can't let him get away with this!" Leo shouted.

"You're all so eager, and yet you don't have the _slightest_ clue of what's going on right now!" Goodwin teased. "Allow me to start at the very beginning!"

Goodwin then revealed to us a large glass container situated next to him.

"What is that?" Luna asked as all of the Signer Marks began to glow intensely.

"It must be the Mark of the Fifth Signer!" Yusei shouted. "But what would Goodwin, a Dark Signer, want with the final mark?"

Goodwin started laughing hysterically, before digging into his robotic arm with his human hand and pulling it clean out of its socket, blood pouring out everywhere.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Jack shouted, now wide-eyed.

Goodwin proceeded to reach into the glass container and pulled out a muscular human hand, before looking it over. "The arm that I had reconstructed for myself was nothing but a conduit so that I could one day transfer the power of the Crimson Dragon over to me!" Goodwin gloated. He then literally shoved the arm into his own open socket as blood continued to pour out. I was surprised that he wasn't in any noticeable pain. Honestly though, I shouldn't have been surprised at all, given what Goodwin's pain tolerance seemed to be like. "Now…" Goodwin grunted. "I am all-powerful. I have both the powers of a Signer and a Dark Signer."

The ground trembled once again as the temple that Goodwin was now at the top of rose even higher into the air.

"Oh no! _This_ again?!" Akiza shouted, similarly irritated like how I was with all of the earthquakes and whatnot.

"Everyone take cover!" Jack shouted.

"This temple… shall be a testament of my glory!" Goodwin shouted, confusing me as I was still able to hear him quite clearly. "With the power of the Earthbound Immortals and the Crimson Dragon, I have become the almighty himself!"

"What are you talking about?!" Crow asked.

"Very well," Goodwin sighed. "I'll tell you if it will make you cease this barrage of questions. My brother, Roman, had both the mark of a Signer and a Dark Signer on his body. However, his soul was nearly taken over by the Earthbound Immortals. It was then that he removed his arm to rid himself of the Signer Mark, which he then entrusted to me."

"But how did-" Yusei began.

"That way, when all the Signers came together, they could defeat the Dark Signers, including himself. But then, I realized something: that even if defeated, the Dark Signers would rise again, and the Nine Worlds would be forced to face the threat once more." Goodwin continued.

"Nine worlds?!" Jack asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, there's the Human World." I began.

"The Spirit World," Luna added.

"And the Underworld, and probably a bunch of other ones." I finished.

" _Anyway_!" Goodwin shouted, causing us all to refocus on him. "I decided to end this tedious repetition that had plagued us for so long."

"So you… You willingly…?" Yusei trailed. "Do you really think you can do that?!"

"Of course! I will not only finish the great battle between the Crimson Dragon and the Earthbound Immortals, but I will also complete the ritual to revive the King of the Underworld and bring him here!"

"You actually think that we'll help you with your diabolical plan?!" Jack asked.

"You're insane!" Crow shouted.

"So many innocent people will die!" Akiza pointed out. "I can't let you do that!"

"Not to mention that you're bringing the Spirit World into all of this…" Luna piped up.

"Yeah! You're gonna make everyone suffer!" agreed Leo.

"You _really_ think you have a choice in all this?" Goodwin asked. "All of the Signers are here, along with the rest of the Crimson Dragon's servants. And you failed to seal all of the control units. I have the powers of a God of Creation, and a God of Destruction flowing through my veins. I have become more than life itself." Goodwin bellowed. "I will complete the ritual, kill you all, and reign by the side of the King!"

"You're freaking _crazy_! You're the one who asked Yusei for help in the first place!" Crow shouted.

"I had my reasons for doing so, but a pathetic non-Signer such as yourself does not have the right to judge my actions. Now then, we shall Duel on the crest of the condor."

"Are you _serious_?!" I yelled. "We _just_ did this!"

Goodwin smirked. "Once again, non-Signer, you fail to understand. _Our_ Duel initiated the ritual, and one more Duel is required to complete it."

"Fine, Goodwin!" Yusei shouted, as I turned to him.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me!"

"We don't have a choice!" Yusei insisted, activating his Duel Disk once more, eliciting a laugh from Goodwin. "What's so funny?!"

"In case you hadn't noticed, the reason why I'm up here isn't to have another standard Duel with you. No, I want to _Turbo Duel_ you!" Goodwin shouted. As soon as Goodwin said this, my anger at having to possibly partake in another Duel disappeared.

"Oh… Well, then I guess it's up to you three." I said, turning to Yusei, Jack and Crow. "Good luck, you guys." I sighed.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Well, Goodwin just said he wants a Turbo Duel, and only you three have Duel Runners." I said, pointing to Crow, Jack and Yusei. "So I guess it's you three against Goodwin then."

"Fine!" Jack shouted, getting on his Duel Runner and sliding the helmet on his head. "Bring it on! Jack Atlas isn't afraid of anyone!"

"That's right!" Crow cheered. "I might not be a Signer, but there's no way I'm gonna let some evil king destroy the Satellite!" Crow got on his Duel Runner and revved it a couple times.

"You guys…" Yusei muttered.

"Don't ask us not to get involved, Yusei!" Jack shouted. "A true Duelist never backs down from a challenge!"

"We're not letting you do this alone, buddy!" Crow hyped.

"Then let's do this!" Yusei shouted, getting onto his Duel Runner and following suit.

"Go guys! Beat him, yeah!" Leo cheered, throwing his fist into the air.

"You can do it!" Luna added.

"Finish him!" I shouted as Yusei, Jack and Crow sped off towards Goodwin.

It was weird. I had expected to be able to hear Goodwin like I had before when he was so far away, but since Yusei, Jack and Crow had dropped out of sight, I couldn't.

An awkward silence followed as Akiza, Leo, Luna, Mina, Trudge and I stared vacantly towards Goodwin's mansion. I'm sure that all of us knew that the Duel against Goodwin would probably be the most difficult Duel for Yusei, Jack and Crow to ever fight in, and for that reason, I did feel a little conflicted.

Part of me felt bad that I was standing on the sidelines, able to do nothing but watch as Yusei, Jack and Crow risked their lives for the future of New Domino City. Even I _did_ happen to have my Duel Runner with me, I probably wouldn't have been much help. I'd have most likely ended up being a liability for Yusei and the others, and dragging them down with me.

Another part of me was sort of glad I wasn't Dueling against Goodwin, to be honest. I mean, it wasn't that I found the last Duel with him to be incredibly difficult or anything, but I knew there was no way I would have won without Yusei's and Explosivo's help.

Leo whistled. "So… what do we do now?"

"No idea." I admitted. "I can barely even _see_ from here, to be honest." I turned to Akiza, Leo and Luna, who were standing beside me. "If you want, I've got my phone with me, I can try and get some food delivered here. You guys must be starving."

"Yes!" Leo shouted, his mouth agape.

"Alright! Well, does pizza sound good?" I asked.

"Yes! _Yes_!" Leo started jumping up and down.

"Awesome! Oh, wait… does anyone have any money on them?" I asked.

"How can you both act like this?" Trudge muttered.

"What do you mean?" I enquired.

"Yusei, Jack and Crow have just gone off to face the toughest Duel of their lives, and you're talking about getting food to eat!"

"Okay, Trudge. Here's the thing," I began. "what you guys weren't here for, right before you guys showed up, Yusei and I had just beaten Goodwin in a Tag Duel."

"You battled _Goodwin_?!" Luna and Mina shouted, before turning to Akiza as if for approval, or to check if I was telling the truth.

"Tyler took my place in the Duel, because he…" Akiza looked over at me, as I shyly averted our gaze once our eyes met. "Tyler managed to take down Goodwin's Earthbound Immortal and score the winning blow."

"You're _welcome_ …" I heard Explosivo's voice echo cheekily in my head. Luna frantically looked around, obviously having heard it too.

"Did he…?" Luna's voice wavered.

"Yeah, Yusei didn't really set me up very well." I joked. "But I realized Goodwin's strategy relied too much on his Earthbound Immortal. Getting rid of it pretty much clinched the match for me. Truthfully, I couldn't have done it without either of them."

"Well if _you_ can beat Goodwin, then against Yusei, Jack and Crow, he's toast." Trudge grinned while I squinted, asking myself if that was an insult.

" _Hey_ now!" Mina piped up. "I don't think you give Tyler enough credit. If Tyler was able to take down the Director's Earthbound Immortal, then he's obviously a fantastic Duelist, Signer or non-Signer!"

"Oh, _stop_ , you!" I blushed from Mina's praise.

"Man, I _really_ wanna Duel you now!" Leo psyched himself.

I smiled and chucked at Leo's eagerness. It was nice to be wanted, I guess. "After all of this is over, I promise I'll Duel you!"

"Sweet!" Leo cheered.

"Ah! Our marks…" Luna muttered, causing Leo and I to turn to her.

"What is it, Luna?" Leo asked.

"They're gone!" Akiza shouted.

"Then the Director must be…" Mina trailed off.

"We gotta stop Goodwin, but how?" Luna panicked.

"By winning…" Akiza said simply.

"That's all easy to say, but it's not like we can actually do anything!" Trudge stated.

"Oh, so standing around and watching Yusei and the others Duel on their Duel Runners is perfectly fine, but when I'm concerned that the twins haven't eaten anything all day, that's wrong, apparently." I stated, turning to Trudge.

"Guys?" Mina asked.

"No, I'm saying that you shouldn't make light of what's going on!" Trudge insisted.

"Guys?!" Mina repeated.

"You said yourself that if I could beat Goodwin, it would no problem for Jack and Crow to do the same. What does _that_ mean then? That I don't even need to be here?!"

" _Guys_!" Mina shouted.

"What?!" we asked, turning to her.

"Look!" she pointed to the sky, where Earthbound Immortal Wiraqocha Rasca had just appeared.

"Is that…?" Leo asked.

"Wiraqocha Rasca… Goodwin's ace…" I muttered. But it wasn't alone. As Goodwin's divine creature flapped its wings, it was accompanied by many black birds.

"Tyler, give me whatever strong monsters you've got in your Deck." Akiza ordered.

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm gonna use my psychic powers to give the monsters corporeal form so that they can fight off those birds." Akiza said.

"Hey, yeah! That's a great idea!" Trudge shouted.

"Alright…" I muttered, handing Akiza my Dark Magician Knight, Brain Crusher and Explosivo.

"Don't forget about me!" Luna chirped, giving Akiza her Ancient Fairy Dragon.

"Okay…" Akiza tensed, laying out the cards we had given her along her Duel Disk. "Finally, arise! Black Rose Dragon!" she shouted, throwing her own monster down on the Duel Disk. All five monsters materialized and looked back at Akiza, awaiting orders. "Let 'em have it!" she shouted.

The monsters all glided over to the battlefield, and were able to easily take out the birds.

"I can hear the voices of the Spirit World… They're all cheering us on!" Luna shouted happily.

"Looks like we can help out after all…" I muttered.

"If Goodwin's going to play it like that, then he's going to have to answer to _us_!" Akiza said.

"Yeah! We can all take him down together!" Leo cheered.

"We've got you guys covered!" Trudge yelled, projecting his voice forward. Although Yusei and the others were so far away now, that I wasn't sure that any of them were able to hear us. Even so, I'm sure they appreciated the gesture.

Or maybe not, seeing as how straight after our 'intervention', Wiraqocha Rasca Attacked and destroyed all our monsters like it was nothing.

"N-no way…" my voice wavered. I was shocked that Wiraqocha Rasca was able to take down Dark Magician Knight, when in my last Duel, my monster easily took down Goodwin's.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon…" Luna murmured.

We could just barely look on as the resulting shockwaves from Wiraqocha Rasca's attack caused Crow's Duel Runner to spin out as he was flung off of it, landing face-down in the dirt.

"Crow!" we all shouted.

Wiraqocha Rasca then proceeded to knock Jack off of his Duel Runner as well.

"No… Jack…" I whispered, closing my eyes. "Please, Yusei… don't die… take Goodwin down…"

Although my eyes were closed, a faint light seeped through my eyelids, slowly growing in intensity. When the light faded, I was standing in pure darkness, only able to see my own body.

"Give Yusei your thoughts and prayers, for he cannot win this without you…" Explosivo's voice sounded.

I smiled lightly. "I'm sorry that I began to doubt myself again…"

"Give Yusei the power you have! Send him your strength!" Explosivo shouted.

"Alright!" I shouted, clenching my fist.

"Our marks…" Luna murmured.

"They're back!" Akiza shouted.

We looked on as Yusei summoned his Majestic Star Dragon, which instantaneously charged through Wiraqocha Rasca.

An array of light flickered down from the sky, the temple disappeared and the sky slowly lost its darkness.

"Everything's goin' back to normal!" Trudge cheered.

"It's all so pretty!" Luna gawked.

"Then it's… it's over…" I muttered.

We all waited at the entrance for Yusei to return. Eventually though, we could see Yusei, Jack and Crow all riding towards us, and all looking pretty banged up. When they were a considerable distance closer, we all ran up to them.

"Yusei! That Duel was incredible!" Luna shouted.

"I knew you could win!" Leo cheered.

"Thanks guys… but I couldn't have done it alone…" Yusei stated.

"Yeah, we all pitched in." Crow said weakly.

"So Goodwin's gone then?" Trudge asked.

"That's right. The power of friendship allowed us to overcome all the obstacles that we were presented with and bring peace to this world once again." Yusei said.

We then all turned to look at lights that were flickering all around us. All of us looked at the lights, probably taking it all in that the struggle, the war against the Dark Signers, was finally over.

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

"We go home…" Yusei muttered.

Everyone around me nodded, turned and went to their respective vehicles. Jack, Crow and Yusei slowly rode away on their Duel Runners, whereas Akiza, Mina, Leo, Luna, Trudge and I got into the patrol cars and drove away from Goodwin's mansion.

Sure, we had defeated the Dark Signers and prevented the King of the Underworld from crossing over to Earth, but when Yusei said 'home', I dunno, I just felt this sort of emptiness inside me. I knew I needed to find myself… the old me, get back on to the path to becoming the person I was, and come through on the promises I had yet to fulfill…


	18. Empty and Alone

After Yusei, Jack and Crow defeated Rex Goodwin at his mansion, Leo and Luna ever-so-graciously offered for me to stay with them at their apartment in the Tops for the night. Crow had told me that he would come by in the morning to take me back to the Satellite, as he was still feeling a bit worn out from his Duel with Goodwin. Crow was staying at Mina's place with Jack for the moment, while Yusei went off trying to negotiate with Sector Security about Goodwin's promise to finish the Daedalus Bridge. When I accepted the twins's offer to spend the night at their place, I had no idea that their apartment would be so… _awesome_!

Everything was so elegant and spacious. The laminate flooring complemented the huge violet sofa situated in the middle of the room. Old paintings were hung on the walls, below them were several figurines of various monsters laid about on several different pieces of furniture, post-it notes littered about either next to or on them describing something. Despite the contrast between the old and the new, nothing from what I could see seemed at all out of place. "Wow! This place is _huge_!" I gawked.

"Not only that, check this out!" Leo shouted eagerly, loudly clapping his hands twice. The curtains at the other side of the room pulled back to reveal a patio outside along with what would've had to be the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen. "Awesome, right?" Leo asked.

" _I'll_ say!" I said.

"It does get lonely sometimes, even with the two of us…" Luna muttered.

"Wait, just the two of you? What about your parents?" I asked quietly. Luna quietly looked down at the floor for some time, long enough to make me regret asking, especially if the question made her feel uncomfortable. "Luna, I'm sorry. You don't need to tell me if you don't want to-"

"No, no, it's okay," Luna assured me, "it's just, they're… always out… either at work or away on business trips. I think the last time we got to see them was at the beginning of last year. That's pretty much the only reason that Leo and I were able to fight the Dark Signers. If our parents found out what we've been up to…" Luna trailed off as Leo went into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know…" I muttered. "I know it's been tough, and a lot was asked of you, but you got through it. And hey, you've done something that very few will _ever_ be able to say they've done: you saved the world! That's pretty awesome if you think about it!"

"I guess…" Luna mumbled as Leo came back, holding a tray with three tall glasses of lemonade on it.

"Would you like some lemonade?" Leo asked, holding the tray up to me.

"I would _love_ some lemonade." I smiled, taking my Duel Disk off for the first time in a long while as I took a glass off the tray. "Thank you very much, Leo."

"Here you go, Luna." Leo said, as Luna took a glass off the tray and had a small sip. "By the way, we need to have our Duel now! You promised, remember?"

"How could I forget?" I chuckled. Me taking off my Duel Disk was probably what reminded him.

"Hold on, Leo!" Luna protested. "We need to give Tyler a tour of the apartment. Show him where the bathrooms and toilets and everything are!"

"Well… now that you mention it… Would you mind showing me where the restroom is?" I asked.

"Not at all. It's this way." Luna said, taking my wrist and pulling me along to where the toilet was. "The bathroom is next door."

"Okay. Thank you." I said as I went in, shut the door, and did what needed to be done. After I was finished, I went into the bathroom to wash my hands.

Looking at myself in the bathroom mirror, it was one of the first times that I'd actually gotten a good look at myself since being at the Arcadia Movement, and I wasn't pleased with what I saw. For starters, my hair was a mess, I had grown a fine mustache and a neckbeard was starting to grow as well. Not flattering at all. I was grateful that no one had made comment about my appearance, but I definitely needed to do something about it after having seen myself.

"Leo, can you sit still for _one_ _moment_ , please?!" I heard Luna's voice.

"Hey, Luna?" I called out, while inspecting myself in the mirror.

"Y-yeah?" I heard her answer back from the hallway.

"Would I be able to look around in here for a razor?" I asked.

"Um… I guess so…" Luna paused. "Take a look in the medicine cabinet."

I did as Luna suggested and opened up every cabinet door until I found the medicine cabinet. Straight away, I saw three razors sitting in the right hand side. "There are three in here. Which one am I able to use?" I called out.

"To use? The expensive-looking one is our dad's. I don't think you should use that one. One of the others should be fine though."

"Thanks!" I said back, taking out one of the flimsy razors and putting it to my cheek. I stopped. It didn't feel like I was doing things the right way. I sighed, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out some shaving cream. I applied it to my face and then got rid of all the off-putting facial hair with ease. Washing my face with water, I then cleaned the razor and put it back in the cabinet along with the shaving cream.

"You shaved your face?" Luna asked as I reappeared in the hallway.

"Yeah… I didn't think all that hair looked very good on me." I muttered.

"Well I think you look very nice." Luna complimented.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Yeah, okay. He looks great! Can we Duel now? Can we?! Can we?! _Can we_?!" Leo asked, appearing next to his sister as he quickly jumped up and down on the spot.

"Yes. Yes. We can Duel now if you'd like." I chuckled.

"Awesome! Okay, let's go it outside!" Leo shouted. I grabbed my Duel Disk off the table as we made our way outside to where Leo and Luna's massive pool was. Luna went and sat down on a bench which was situated near the entrance back into the apartment. Past the pool and past the trees, the whole of New Domino City was at my feet. I found myself looking across at the tops of the buildings that I could just barely see as Leo and I stood across from each other.

"Alright. You ready to go?" I asked.

"Yeah! I've been waiting for this for so long!" Leo cheered, activating his Duel Disk as I followed suit.

[Tyler: 4000 LP]  
[Leo: 4000 LP]

"Since you're our guest, I'll let you start!" Leo grinned.

"Thanks, Leo, that's very kind of you." I smiled, drawing my card. "I'll Set two cards face-down, and Summon Gemini Elf in Attack Position!" the twin elves once again appeared at my side, mischievous smirks on their faces [ATK: 1900]. "I'll finish by activating Magical Blast, dealing you two hundred damage."

" _Waaah_!" Leo cried as he was thrown back, causing Luna to sigh.

[Leo: 3800 LP]

"Leo, don't be so overdramatic!" Luna groaned.

"Haha, it's fine! I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve!" Leo cheered. "I draw! Ta-Da!" he shouted, overemphasizing his draw. Luna groaned once more at Leo's display. "I Summon Morphtronic Celfon in Attack Position!" Leo shouted, a weird transformer-looking thing appearing next to him [ATK: 100]. "Next I activate Celfon's ability! He dials a number from one to six, and I pick up the resulting number of cards from my Deck and summon a Morphtronic monster from that group. Ready? _Go_!" Leo cheered. The numbers on Celfon's dial-pad illuminated one at a time, until finally stopping on number three. " _Yahoo_! Now I can draw three cards… and I Summon my Morphtronic Remoten _from_ that set of cards!" A mutant stereo system remote materialized next to Leo [DEF: 400]. "I play two cards face-down! Your move!"

"Then I'll add Magical Blast to my hand, and summon Time Wizard." I said. The purple-cloaked red clock appeared on my field [ATK: 500]. "I'll now use Magical Blast I just got back to deal more damage."

" _Aaaah_!" Leo jumped back as he was hit by the purple blast.

[Leo: 3400 LP]

"Time Wizard, attack!" I shouted as my monster pointed its miniature clock staff at Leo's Morphtronic Celfon.

"Sorry, but since my Boomboxen is in Defense Position, I can negate an attack which targets a Morphtronic monster!" Leo shouted as Time Wizard's attack faded away to nothing.

"Fine. Then I'll attack Celfon with Gemini Elf and activate Magician's Circle, letting us each Summon a Spellcaster monster from our Decks."

"Not so fast! I play Mirror Force!" Leo shouted as a barrier rose up and protected Leo's monsters, and Gemini Elf was flung back into Time Wizard, destroying them.

"That's okay. I'm still able to bring out Dark Magician Girl as per the ability of Magician's Circle." I explained as the blonde magician appeared on my field and winking at Leo, causing him to blush profusely [ATK: 2000].

"S-sorry… but I play Bottomless Trap Hole!" Leo shouted as a hole opened below Dark Magician Girl's feet and she fell in, before the hole closed over.

"Then I guess I end my turn…" I muttered

"I draw, and I activate Celfon's effect again! _Yeah_!" Leo shouted, pumping his fist into the air as Celfon's keys lit up before landing on a three once more. "I'll Summon another Morphtronic Boomboxen!" [ATK: 1200].

"Crap…" I muttered.

"Next I play Morphtronic Magnen in Attack Position!" A giant magnet appeared on Leo's side of the field before it took on a more bipedal shape [ATK: 800]. "I'll then switch my first Boomboxen to Attack Position!"

I realized how screwed I was and chuckled. It seemed like Joel would have my head soon enough.

"Go my monsters, _attack_!" Leo shouted as they all lunged at my near-empty field.

"I play Negate Attack!" I shouted as all of Leo's monsters ran through the vortex and ended back on his side of the field.

"Your turn then…" Leo muttered.

"Then for this turn, I'll draw…" I closed my eyes, willing myself that I would topdeck what I needed.

And as it turned out, I did.

"I activate Lightning Vortex, discarding Chaos Command Magician to destroy your monsters!" I shouted as lightning rained down from the sky and blew all of Leo's machines to pieces.

" _Damn it_!" Leo shouted.

" _Leo_! Watch your language!" Luna ordered.

"Next, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Chaos Command Magician!" I shouted as the blue-skinned magician, the monster I'd just discarded, appeared in front of me [ATK: 2400]. " _Attack_!"

Although Leo braced himself, he was easily knocked to the ground by a single blow from my monster.

[Leo: 1000 LP]

"Your move, Leo." I motioned.

Leo got to his feet and drew, looking at his cards. I could by his facial expression alone that he didn't have any more moves to make. "One face-down… Your turn…" Leo murmured.

"I activate Heavy Storm!" I shouted as a cyclone brewed and blew Leo's face-down away.

"No!" Leo shouted.

"Go, Chaos Command Magician! Attack directly!" I shouted.

Leo was once again knocked to the ground, his life points completely obliterated by my last attack.

[Leo: 0 LP]

"Aww man!" Leo grumbled, stomping his feet on the ground a couple times. "If you hadn't have drawn Lightning Vortex, I would've won!"

"Don't be a sore loser, Leo! Tyler beat you fair and square!" Luna interjected.

"Nah, he's right. If I had've gotten a dead draw, you would've won for sure." I admitted. "Good game, Leo." I smiled, walking over to him and extending my hand for him to shake. After a moment of hesitance, Leo returned my gesture, a big grin on his face.

"Good game! But I'm _totally_ gonna get you next time!"

* * *

_Your mom won't care that you've got amnesia. She'll just be happy to know you're okay._

Those were the words that flashed through my mind at some ungodly hour. I had been staring up at the ceiling, unable to get to sleep because of Leo's snoring. After the Duel, Leo ordered pizza for dinner and we sat down and watched a couple movies on their huge TV. Eventually though, feelings of exhaustion set in from the rough few days we'd all had, and we settled in for the night, with me on the floor of Leo's room.

_When you're done doing whatever you need to do… call home. Your mother misses you… I miss you…_

I glanced at my phone sitting on Leo's bedside table and sighed. I got up, grabbed my phone and walked out into the living room, taking a seat on the massive couch. I took a couple of minutes to go over everything in my head, but I still didn't know what I was going to say, or why I thought calling so early in the morning was a good idea. I just knew that this was something I had to do.

_Once the Dark Signers are taken care of, things can, and will go back to normal._

I scrolled through my contacts, found my mother's home number and called as I proceeded to press my phone gently against the side of my face.

The phone rang three times before I heard a click on the end of the line, along with some faint static. "Hello?" a woman answered. From the sound of her voice, I perceived her to be around forty years of age, possibly late thirties. She also sounded tired, of course that was to be expected.

My heart raced as I closed my eyes and willed myself to speak. "Hi… mom… It's me, Tyler…" As soon as I said this, I then felt the urge to slap myself in the face. Of _course_ she knew it was me! It probably showed up on her phone that I was calling! I'm probably the only one who would've been calling at that time anyway!

"Oh… _Hello_ …!" her tone seemed to be much sterner now. "You okay? Where are you now?" she asked.

"I'm fine, mom. I'm staying with friends at the moment." I explained. I couldn't let this lead to a similar incident to the one I had with Joel, so I decided to just come out and tell her all that happened. "Listen, there's something I need to-"

"Why have you not contacted me sooner? How come it's taken you so long to contact me?! I've been worried sick! You must've known that I would be worried about you!" she ranted.

"I-I know. I'm sorry. I've been meaning to call you for a while, but I-"

"Well that's really selfish of you not to have phoned me sooner! You've made me worry unnecessarily, because you're obviously fine!"

I realized I was losing control of the conversation very quickly, and that frightened me. I didn't know if she knew that I had amnesia or not, but it became apparent to me that she didn't know Joel and I had spoken to each other. "Well actually, mom, I'm not. See, I've-"

"Look! I don't really care what you've got to say for yourself now, I'm just really very angry! You're just a selfish child and I don't want to hear from you again!" my mom shouted.

Just like that, as quick as the phone call began, it ended. The line went dead, and for a moment, I felt nothing. I let my vision blur as my phone slipped out of my hand and onto the couch with a soft thud.

My mind became an uncontrollable storm of thoughts, various feelings attacking me all at once as so many questions arose in my head. Like 'why would my mom keep my phone plan going so I could call her, only for her to rage at me when I actually _did_ call her?' and 'what the Hell was I supposed to do now?'

The thing that really hit home for me was that my mother didn't really give me a chance to explain myself. As strange as it sounded, I had really been clinging to the belief that once the Dark Signers were taken care of, my family would accept me back into their lives and everything could go back to normal, whatever 'normal' was.

But of course, it was all just a bunch of lies. I picked up my phone, going into my messages and deleting all of them without even reading them.

I wanted to punch, yell or scream at something so badly, but I couldn't risk waking the twins. I found tears beginning to form in my eyes, but rather than try and hold them back, I decided to just sit as still as I could, stay as quiet as I could, and let my emotions out through my tears.

"Tyler…"

I looked over to my Duel Disk on the table and noticed one of the cards in my Deck was glowing. I became bathed in a bright light as Explosivo appeared beside me.

"…Are you okay?" he asked.

"What do _you_ think?" I muttered. "My mom doesn't even want to speak to me."

"I know…"

"You said they would accept me…" I whispered, drying my tears. "How the Hell… is 'I don't want to hear from you again' any kind of acceptance?"

"Tyler-"

"Admit it: You had no fucking clue how they would react, _did_ you?"

"I don't have control over everything…" Explosivo murmured.

"Really? You've had control over everything else, so why not this? Or is it that you just don't care? After all, the Dark Signers are defeated… the Spirit World is safe… Why do you care what happens to me…? No… You just led me on, letting me think whatever I wanted just so long as you got what you needed from me."

"That's not it at all. I just-"

"You wanna know something? I had been clinging to the thought, the hope, that once the Dark Signers were taken care of, I could return to the life I once had, the one you took from me… But you won't even let me have that, will you?"

I let out a sigh, putting my phone onto the coffee table and getting up off the couch without another word, walking outside to where Leo and I'd had our Duel earlier on. I walked around the swimming pool, silently observing the stillness and clarity of the water, before turning to face the ledge where pot plants decorated the corners. I kept walking until I had reached the ledge, putting my left foot up on it as I observed the city below me. The highest point of New Domino City… A fall from here would certainly kill me… I stood up completely straight, bringing my right foot together with my left as I looked straight ahead at the skyline.

One more step, and it would all be over.

"Tyler! _Don't_!" I heard Explosivo shout from behind me, his words sounding more like a threat than anything else. I didn't bother looking back at him.

"Is that all you have to say?" I asked softly. "What about 'Tyler, forgive me for lying to you about your family wanting you back', hmm? You promised me that everything would be okay… You said my family would accept me back with open arms… You were full of shit…" I paused. "How could you even _make_ a promise like that? You knew how I felt, and you still decided to lie… Because you needed me…"

"Everyone needed you-"

"Shut up!" I yelled, beginning to cry once more. "This is all your fault! How you can even _call_ yourself my guardian is just insulting to me! You've done nothing for me except cause me more pain and suffering! Well, guess what? Now it ends! I'm done, okay? You can't _use_ me anymore!"

I had only just noticed now that my breathing became more erratic, my heart feeling as though it had leapt into my throat. I once again looked down at the city. I'd probably have about ten seconds, if that, before I hit the ground. I smiled. Exhaling sharply, I breathed in as much air as I could through my nose, slowly bringing my arms out to my side. There was no going back for me now. This had to be done… This _had_ to be done…

Three…

Two…

One-

"Tyler! Please! Stop!"

" _Luna_ …" I gasped, pulling myself back to a standing position, though keeping my arms outstretched.

"You can't do it, Tyler! Please get down from there!" she cried, her voice wavering.

I turned back to see Luna behind me, crying, with Explosivo standing beside her, showing no emotion. "I called my mom, Luna… She doesn't want me… _He_ said she wouldn't care… _They_ said she wouldn't care… But she does… It's hopeless…"

"It's not hopeless! It doesn't matter if she cares or not because she's just one person! I… You're like family to me! We all want you here, Tyler! All of us! So please…" Luna begged.

"I'm sorry, but I can't live like this…" I muttered, turning back to face the skyline of New Domino City once more. I heard the rush of footsteps as I brought my arms down. Once I felt a hand clamp onto my arm, I stopped. I looked behind again and saw that Luna was holding onto me as tight as she could.

"You can't go, Tyler! I won't let you!"

"Let go, Luna…" I urged, trying to shake her away from me, though afraid that if I were to use too much force, I'd hurt her, or even worse, accidentally pull her down with me.

" _No_!" Luna shouted. It was probably the loudest I had ever heard her voice go. She paused. "Do you realize how important you are to me? To everyone?! You rescued me from the Spirit World, from the Arcadia Movement. You convinced my brother to come with us to Satellite, you helped me save the Ancient Fairy Dragon by defeating Devack… Do you know how frightened I was? When I saw Leo, I knew I had to fight for him… But I was scared. I thought that I was going to die, that I was going to let Ancient Fairy Dragon, Yusei and everyone else down. But do you remember what you said to me? You said that you wouldn't let me do this alone! Well, I won't let you go through _this_ alone! Whatever you're feeling, you can talk to me about. I can help you… I _want_ to help you… Please don't kill yourself! You're more than a friend to me, Tyler! You're…" her voice trailed off, overcome with emotion as tears ran down her face. "You're my hero…"

Everything that Luna had said seemed to breeze past me so quickly, that I didn't really have any time to think about what I could say in response to Luna's words. I studied Luna's tear-filled eyes and as my body twitched, I think I finally understood. Luna was, in the early hours of the day, bawling her eyes out, because of me. I couldn't do it. It wasn't just about me and how I felt. In that moment, I knew that I would never be able to return to the life I had, but that didn't mean that I had to screw up my new life, not only for myself, but for the people around me. I stepped down off the ledge, Luna still not letting go of my arm, and I pulled her close to me. "I'm sorry…" I whispered, "Please, forgive me…"

Luna let go of my arm and then wrapped hers around my back just as tight, burying her face in my chest. I could feel the tears from her eyes dampening the front of my clothes, her breathing heavy and erratic. The two of us stayed quiet, the entire situation feeling more and more like a dream as time went on. There was a large part of me that wished it _was_ all just a dream, that I had never called my mom, and that any second I would wake up in Leo's room. I knew though, that this was not a dream. I was wide awake. This was real.

There was no attempt whatsoever by Luna to pull away from me, though I could feel her grip slacking a little, and her breathing had regulated. Slowly, Luna moved her face from my chest and looked up at me. "I… Of course I forgive you… But… I still…" she trailed off. I couldn't help but notice the bags she had under her eyes, which meant that she, like me, had had difficulty getting to sleep. I couldn't blame her, we'd all been through a lot these past few days. But what had happened now and how she was feeling… was all because of me…

"I-I'm sorry. You've had to go through so much these past few days… and I've just been adding to all of it… You must be so tired…" I whispered. Luna was still noticeably shaken up from all that had happened, and I could tell that there were plenty of things going through her mind, as were mine. She gave me a small nod, but otherwise didn't move. I didn't have a problem with her falling asleep in my arms, but I was beginning to feel the cold, and I knew she probably was too, so I took it upon myself to gently take her into my arms and carry her back inside. "How 'bout we get you to bed?" I cooed.

"O-okay…" Luna mumbled.

I instantly felt warmer as I walked back into the apartment. I caught sight of my phone, and decided to set Luna down on the couch before picking it up. I sighed, turning to Explosivo, who had since joined Luna and I back inside her apartment. He stared at me in silence with those infuriating yellow eyes of his, and I looked away. Nothing needed to be said. He knew how I felt about him. I put my phone down and turned back to Luna, who was now staring up at me in a daze. "Luna, I'm… I'm so sorry about all this…" I mumbled. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt you… It's just, there's more to why than what I'd like to talk about…"

"We can talk about it in the morning…" Luna said softly. I looked away. Honestly, this wasn't something I'd want to bring up again. As if sensing my uneasiness, Luna added "I'm ready to listen… I want to help you get through this…"

I forced a smile, because even though I wanted to smile, I couldn't for some reason. "Thank you, Luna. That means a lot." I looked in the direction of Leo's bedroom and I felt one of Luna's hands wrap around mine.

"You'll wake Leo up if you go back into his room." she whispered. "Please, stay… I want you here with me…"

Smiling suddenly came much easier to me. "I'm not going anywhere…" Taking two of the rugs off the cushions, I pulled one up over Luna to try and keep her warm. I then wrapped the other rug around me, and laid down at the other end of the couch, our faces next to each other and our bodies at separate ends. '"Good night, Luna…"

Luna breathed out shakily as I noticed tears form in her eyes once more, before running down the side of her face. "Please, don't ever leave me… Because I need you…"

"Luna… I promise you… I won't…" Neither of us said anything else, and eventually I drifted off to sleep, pointlessly hoping that this moment and everything that preceded it would fade into nothing.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of my phone vibrating against the coffee table, which to me sounded more like somebody tooting the horn of a truck that was coming right at me. By the looks of things, it was late morning, and by the smell of things, breakfast was being cooked. I glanced over to see Luna still next to me, a serene look on her face. I smiled, slowly getting up off the couch to check my phone.

_Crow here. Using Jack's phone. I'm still a little burned out from battling Goodwin, so I won't be coming around to pick you up today. See if you're able to stay a little longer with the twins. I'll send you another message when I think I'm up for it. Cheers._

I put my phone back down on the table as I felt some shuffling on the couch. I looked over as Luna groaned, sitting up and wiping the sleep from her eyes. As her eyes focused on mine, I noticed her breathing elevate just a tad as she gave me a warm smile. "Good morning, Luna…" I murmured, my voice dry and scratchy.

"Good morning, Tyler."

I didn't want to start the day by talking about what happened in the early hours right away. I knew I'd have to talk about it eventually with Luna like she suggested we do, but right at the moment we woke up was definitely not the time. I sighed. "Um… Crow sent me a message saying that he was still a little tired from the whole Turbo Duel with Goodwin, so he won't be coming by to pick me up today. Is it alright with you if I stay here for a little bit longer?"

"Of course you can." Luna assured me, reaching out and cupping one of my hands in hers. "You can stay here for as long as you want."

"Thanks Luna." I smiled, trying not to be taken aback by Luna's generosity. As nice an offer as that was, realistically I knew I couldn't stay forever.

I sighed. God, her hands were smooth.

"It's about time you two _lovebirds_ got up! You guys gonna kiss each other all day or are you gonna come eat?" Leo's voice asked. The two of us looked to the direction of the kitchen and saw Leo standing in his pajamas, wearing an over-sized white apron.

"Wh-what?! L-Lovebirds?!" Luna blushed, quickly letting go of my hand.

"Yeah! I got up a little earlier to get a drink of water and you two were sleeping together on the couch like a boyfriend and girlfriend on all those TV shows!"

Luna looked towards me, before turning back to Leo. "I just had a nightmare and needed Tyler to keep me company."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "But why the couch? Your room is closer…"

"W-well… after I had my nightmare, I came out to make myself some warm milk and calm my nerves and… Tyler heard me get up so he came out too. We spent a little while talking, but I guess we both just fell asleep on the couch…"

"Oh… Well, okay then." Leo smiled. "But what's this about Tyler staying? Isn't Crow gonna pick you up from here in a little bit?"

"No. Crow sent Tyler a message saying that he's still a bit tired, so he won't be coming by today."

"That's too bad. But you get to spend more time with us! So that's pretty awesome, right? We can have another Duel later! Wait, wait, _wait_! I could have Dexter over, and then the four of us could have a _Tag Duel_!" he shouted excitedly before sniffing the air. " _Ah_! The food!" Leo ran back into the kitchen to rescue whatever it was that he was cooking.

"You're not gonna tell him…?" I asked softly.

Luna shook her head. "Leo would completely flip out if I told him." I exhaled, averting my eyes from Luna's. "Would we be able to talk a little more about what happened after breakfast?" she asked. "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but I want to know what I can do to support you."

I knew of course that it wouldn't be beneficial for me or anyone else if I were to just pretend the entire incident never happened. Though at the same time, I didn't really want anyone else to know. Luna was the only one who did know, and if I was able to sort this out with her help, then no one else would need to know. "I'd like that…" I said, forcing a smile.

"Breakfast is ready!" Leo shouted. Luna smiled, once again cupping one of her hands in mine.

"C'mon…" she urged me softly. I gently squeezed her hand as the two of us walked into the kitchen. Leo was piling pancakes onto three separate plates.

"These are a little bit overdone, but they should be okay." Leo stated, though by looking at Luna's expression, I could tell she thought otherwise. "Anyway, here you go!" Leo smiled, passing us our plates and utensils.

The three of us then sat down in the dining room, eating pretty much in silence, except for Leo's loud chewing. Luna kept on directing her attention to me every time I used my knife to cut up some of the pancakes on my plate. In the midst of all the silence, Luna cleared her throat.

"Uh… so Leo, how about instead of inviting Dexter over here after breakfast, you go over to his place and hang out for a little bit?"

"Huh? But I wanted to Tag Duel…! And wouldn't…" Leo trailed off as a smile swept across his face. "Oh, I see. You wanna have some alone time with Tyler, don't you?"

"Leo! That's not… Th-that's _enough_ , alright?!" Luna protested.

Leo chuckled. "Okay, okay! Is that cool with you then Tyler? If we hold off on the Tag Duel?"

I looked up from my plate. "Yeah… sure…"

"Awesome! But remember, we gotta do it eventually!" he grinned, before getting back to his meal.

* * *

I helped Leo clear the table once we had all finished eating, and then Leo went to go have a quick shower. The next time I saw Luna, I noticed that she had changed into her regular day clothes as she came out and sat beside me on the couch that I had sat back down on. Explosivo had yet to make another appearance, and I'd been seriously contemplating tearing the card up.

"Alright, you guys! I'm off!" Leo shouted, grabbing his Duel Disk and sprinting out the door.

And just like that, Luna and I were alone, and I could no longer pretend that I hadn't tried to kill myself only a short time ago. I sighed.

"Wait… why don't we talk in my room?" Luna suggested. "C'mon…" she cooed, getting up off the couch, apparently not giving me a chance to answer, and walking over to the staircase on the opposite side of the room. It only occurred to me as Luna ascended the steps that her bedroom was upstairs, unlike Leo's. For some reason, I reached over and grabbed my Deck that was on the table, before getting up off the couch and following Luna up the stairs and into her room as she shut the door behind us.


	19. Follow You Down

My immediate reaction upon entering Luna's room was surprise at finding how different it was to Leo's. For one thing, it wasn't a giant mess like Leo's room was. In Luna's room, every item seemed to have its own proper place and everything was organized in an incredibly neat way. The contrast between Leo and Luna's rooms was striking.

"You've got a lot of Taylor Swift CDs here." I noted, my eyes focusing on Luna's CD stand, which had collected a large amount of dust, presumably in her absence. "She any good?"

" _I_ think so…" Luna replied. "I don't actually listen to the CDs themselves… My dad buys them and sends them over. I just put the songs I like onto my phone and listen to them on there." she explained.

"I see…"

The two of us went silent, not really sure how to start up a conversation about the events of the previous night. Luna frowned slightly, obviously trying to think up a way to talk about what happened, while I just thumbed through my cards. Luna sighed, looking at me with a pained expression. "Why don't you… um… sit on my bed…" she suggested.

"Okay." I nodded, walking over and sitting down on Luna's nicely made bed as she kept her eyes locked on mine as I put my Deck on her bedside table. Luna pulled along a small purple-painted stool made of wood and sat so that if she reached forward, we'd be at arm's length.

"How long have you… been feeling like this?" Luna asked suddenly.

It was a simple question, but one that made my stomach churn. There was no use in lying. If I did lie, I'd be no better than Explosivo. The best thing to do, for me _and_ for Luna, would be to tell the truth. "Do you remember the first time we went to Goodwin's mansion? How I tried to convince Leo to accompany us to the Satellite?"

Luna's eyes widened. " _Th-then_ …?"

"After talking with you guys, I went back to my room to get my stuff. Next thing I knew, I was in some forest in the Spirit World. That was the first time I ever met Explosivo, as a Duel Spirit, I mean. He said that, on my father's deathbed he had been entrusted with the task of keeping me safe. He said that he was my guardian, that he would protect me. He also said that he couldn't interfere with the Will of the Crimson Dragon, and it was because of _that_ that I was kidnapped and brainwashed by Sayer."

"Tyler…" Luna muttered.

"So, yeah, it turned out that he _deliberately_ let me get brainwashed and lose my memories so that I could be in the right place at the right time, get taken to the Arcadia Movement so at some point, I could rescue you." I shook my head. "Hearing him tell me that, like I was just there to be used because I had a connection to the Spirit World too… _that_ was the first time I had those thoughts. But he told me that, in spite of my amnesia, my family would take me back… And I believed him… so I didn't do it… I didn't feel it for a long time because I clung to the belief that no matter what happened in the end, I'd be able to go back… Explosivo gave me that belief, and when I found out that he literally had no idea how my mother would react, I felt betrayed, I felt used… I felt…" I stopped, feeling my heart beat a little bit faster. "He could have just _told_ me the truth to begin with! But he didn't! He lied to me, just so I would help him! I didn't want to continue anymore. I didn't want to be used, and I thought that the only way out was for me to…" I trailed off.

"Why didn't you tell anybody? Why didn't you tell me?" Luna asked.

"We all had our own issues to deal with. Yusei was reflecting on Kalin becoming a Dark Signer, Akiza had just found out about everything that went on at the Arcadia Movement, Leo was having second thoughts about coming with us, and Jack was… Well I have no idea what Jack was doing. You were the only one who was cheerful and… happy and…" I sighed, "God, Luna, you've got such a great smile! Seeing you happy in spite of Goodwin dumping all that information on us… I didn't want to ruin that for you…"

"And afterwards?"

"…I thought I could stay here for a day, call my mom and let her know about everything, head to the Satellite with Crow, get my things and then head back into the city and move back into my old house… and everything could go back to normal. I know it was stupid… to have everything mapped out in my head, to have me counting on the words of some manipulative, deceitful Duel Spirit hoping, _praying_ that nothing would falter… some silly little fantasy…" I then looked over to my Deck. "And I _know_ that he can hear me, but he's too much of a _coward_ to show himself…!"

"I'm sure that he had the best of intentions…" Luna assured me, I of course nearly choking upon hearing her response.

"Sure, yeah. _Best_ intentions. _Letting_ someone get brainwashed. I don't know about you, Luna, but if I was a Duel Spirit who was assigned by some dude's now deceased father to watch over and protect him, I'd do everything I could, including going against whatever fate or destiny there apparently was, to _protect_ him, no matter what…"

"Even if doing so would change everything…?" Luna asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked softly. Luna groaned, before cupping both of my hands in hers.

"Tyler, you saved my _life_! You rescued me from… from Zeman, from Sayer, from _Devack_! If it weren't for you, I would still be trapped in the Spirit World! Ancient Fairy Dragon, Regulus and Torunka would all have been captured, and the King of the Underworld would probably be here right now destroying this planet. Look, I'm not saying that it was right that you had to give up your memories, or that you had to go through what you did, but someone… _someone_ had to save me from the Spirit World, and… I'm glad it was you…"

I felt Luna's hold on my hands tighten just a little as we stared at each other in silence. Her eyes seemed to almost be filled with an innocence and kindness, that I almost found myself getting lost in them. It occurred to me then with how I had phrased things that Luna might have thought that I blamed her in some way for what happened to me, but I didn't. I couldn't. It wasn't her fault that Zeman kidnapped her, and I dreaded to think what would have happened had Sayer been able to use either her or myself to access the Spirit World.

"Me too…" I smiled at her. Another truth I had to admit was, amnesia or not, I had no idea what I'd be doing if I hadn't have gotten involved in the fight against the Dark Signers. And if everything else had gone the same way, then I could've ended up in a lot worse situations, dead or alive, than the one that I'd ended up in. I guess, if there was a silver lining or something good to have come out from everything, it was that I had helped Luna and everybody else defeat the Dark Signers, I'd kept the promises I had made, and most importantly, I had a sense of purpose.

"I'm sorry you've been feeling so awful. I want you to know that I'm so glad you're still here. We _all_ are."

" _We_?"

"Me, Leo, Yusei… but not only us… listen…" Luna urged, the two of us hearing a multitude of other voices speaking to us. I could understand them, but I couldn't distinguish them. "You hear that?" Luna asked. "The Duel Spirits care about you…"

I smiled, taking in the voices belonging to the Spirits of my cards. The long and the short of what I heard, what we _both_ heard, was that they were all concerned for my safety, and glad that I had someone as supportive as Luna to help me when I needed her. They also congratulated me for helping Yusei defeat the Dark Signers, which was nice. The only voice that I couldn't hear was Explosivo's.

As the voices faded, I slowly turned to Luna. "Luna, I… I don't want you to feel like any of this is your fault. It's not. You have been, and you still are, one of the most caring, thoughtful and considerate people I have ever met. I did what I did because-"

"I know…" Luna muttered. "I was asked by the Ancient Fairy Dragon to help protect the Spirit World and I promised that I would, but it was a long time ago that I promised her this, and it took me a while to remember that promise. Once I remembered though, I did everything I could to help her, because she kept me safe when I went to the Spirit World the first time. I don't think that you should judge Explosivo too harshly for what's happened. After all, he has stuck by you. Even in a way which you might think is twisted or obscure, the fact that Explosivo stood by you, in spite of your amnesia. I think that's really great of him to do that."

"I just don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him for what he's done." I stated. "Luna, I know what you mean but… he used me… he lied to me. And… I could forgive that… if it were anyone else, but he knew about Roman, about Joel. So it stands to reason that he would've known exactly how my mom would've reacted upon me speaking to her."

"Maybe he just didn't know how to tell you. I wouldn't know how to tell you if I knew your mom didn't want to talk to you."

"That's true, but you certainly wouldn't lie either…"

"Of _course_ I wouldn't!" Luna insisted. "But if you believe in something, it's the truth to you. Maybe… Explosivo needed to believe that…"

"Well that's his choice… He didn't have to drag me into it…" I groaned, bringing my hands to my face. "I _know_ … I'm being negative. I'm sorry."

"That's okay." Luna assured me, reaching up and cupping her hands around mine. "This may take some time, but we're all here to help you. A-and maybe later on… you'll see things in a different light."

"Right now, if I tried to picture where I'd be in a few months, I honestly couldn't tell you. But I know that, in this moment right now, even though I'm afraid of what tomorrow might bring, I need to face it… And I know I'm not alone in what I face…" I smiled, getting up off the bed.

"Tyler…"

I couldn't say it out loud, but I knew that if I didn't rid myself of some hindrances, I would probably attempt suicide again at a later point. At least for the moment, I could manage and eliminate things that could be harmful to me mentally, and by association, those around me.

I walked over to Luna's bedroom door and opened it halfway, walking out and down the stairs as quick as I could, into the living room. Luna followed me quickly, probably assuming the worst. I picked up my phone, my heart skipping a beat as I discovered I had a new message from someone waiting for me.

_Crow again. I'll be right to come by tomorrow morning and pick you up. Does 10:30ish sound good for you?_

I smiled, typing in a response and looking at it.

_That's fine with me. Don't overdo it 'till then, ok?_

I decided that, before I would send the message, I'd speak with Luna. "Hey, Luna? Crow sent me another message. He thinks he'll be right to come by tomorrow and pick me up. Is that alright with you?" I asked, looking to her.

Luna smiled. "Leo might not like it, but it's fine with me."

I gave Luna a smile back as I sent Crow the message. Then, I brought myself back to the task at hand. I scrolled through my contacts, deleting my mom, Joel and their contact information from my phone. I didn't need them anymore. I couldn't afford to need them anymore.

I looked at my phone, a smile appearing on my face. Since I didn't have their numbers memorized, I wouldn't know if they ever called again, and I would never answer a call or text that I didn't recognize. I was about to put my phone away when Luna stopped me.

"Wait… Can I give you my number?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, o'course." I handed my phone to Luna as she typed away and added herself to my phone, giving it back to me a few moments later.

"If you ever want to talk to me about anything that's bothering you and I'm not around, just call… Please…" Luna urged. I nodded, and she smiled at me with that same perky and cheerful expression she'd had only a few days ago.

I couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

I stood with Luna and Leo out the front of their apartment building in the Tops the next morning. Leo was pretty bummed to find out that I was leaving, but I promised to Duel him again sometime and he perked right up. The sun reflected off Crow's Duel Runner, temporarily blinding the twins as Crow made his way up the unreasonably steep path to where we were standing. He pulled to a stop, taking off his helmet. "Hey, guys." Crow greeted, turning to me. "So you ready to go?"

I nodded, turning to the twins. "Thanks for having me over. I really appreciate it." I smiled, giving Luna an apologetic glance, which she returned with a warm, forgiving one.

"Thanks for staying…" Luna said.

"Yeah, but remember, we gotta Duel again sometime! And I'm totally gonna win!" Leo piped up.

Crow chuckled, tossing me a spare helmet, which I was barely able to catch. I slowly put it on, before walking over to Crow's Duel Runner. He shifted as far forward as he could to give me room to get on, before the two of us leaned back slightly. Crow revved his Duel Runner once. "All set?" he asked as the twins stepped back.

"Not yet…" I muttered. There was still one thing I had to take care of. "Luna… I wanna give you something…" I murmured, Luna walking to me as I went through my Deck, found Explosivo, and handed him to her.

Luna looked back at me with an immensely shocked expression. "Tyler…! This is-"

"I know… I think you should have him. You clearly understand him on a much deeper level than I do. And I can't be near him… I don't want to be near him… I'm not saying that you need to add him to your Deck, and I know it sounds like after all of this that I'm just giving you my problems, but the truth is… I'm still afraid… of him, and what I might do if I'm near him. This is the last step for me, the one last hindrance I need to rid myself of before I can try to move on. Please… will you take him?" I asked.

Luna attempted to focus her eyes on mine, though with the helmet obscuring her view of my eyes, she didn't have much luck. She didn't need to look into my eyes though to tell that I was serious. "Of course I will." she nodded, taking Explosivo from me. Luna then stepped back to meet with Leo as Crow piped up again.

"That it?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'm ready now…" I muttered, putting my hands above Crow's waist. He revved his Duel Runner once more and the two of us took off.

I didn't want to be controlled. I had let _him_ control me up until the point of my death. And I knew then that, instead of trying to control my death, I should just try to control my life. With Explosivo gone, I knew that all that had once held me back, I had been freed of. I was the master of my own destiny, just as Yusei had been, and I wouldn't need to take any more drastic measures to prove that.


	20. The World I Know

Crow was taking me back to the old Satellite district that I used to live in back when I was a part of Team Satisfaction with him, Yusei, Jack and Kalin. We had been talking, or yelling rather, about the Dark Signers and everything that had happened. Somehow, we got onto the subject of someone called 'The Legendary Man', and then, we got onto the subject of Crow's kids. "I tell ya, Annie and Itsuki are gonna be so happy to see you again!" Crow cheered, though I could hardly hear him with the wind in my face.

"Right…" I murmured, gripping Crow's waist tightly. There were so many questions I still had about my past, but knowing me, I'd end up piling them on. So instead, I just asked what was mostly prevalent on my mind. "Um… how will they react when they find out that I don't remember them…?"

Crow stayed silent for a while. "I think… they'll be happy just knowing you're safe. See, before their souls were taken away by the Dark Signers, Annie and Itsuki would do nothing but wait at our nest for you to return after you got kidnapped. Sometimes they would go days without sleep, because they wanted to be awake for when you returned."

"How old are these kids?" I asked.

"Annie is nine. Itsuki is ten."

"Wow…" I muttered. "So these kids stayed up night after night for me?"

Crow nodded. "You're like an older brother to them, Tyler. They'll be over the moon when they see you. If nothing else, act like you're happy to see them. I'll break the news while you're out breaking in your Runner."

That was one of the other reasons why Crow wanted us to come back to the Satellite. Crow promised me that once the Dark Signers were defeated, he'd help me fix up my Duel Runner.

"Thanks…" I muttered.

"Before any o' that though, we gotta get you out of those clothes!" Crow insisted, referring to the Arcadia Movement Uniform that I still wore. I didn't have any other clothes to wear except for that, but Crow said that all my stuff should be with him, so I was curious to know what kind of clothes I had. Whatever I had, I knew it would be better than what I had on.

It wasn't long before Crow and I emerged out one of the pipelines that ran through the Satellite and New Domino. As far as I knew, Yusei'd had no luck getting approval for the Daedalus Bridge to be completed, which was a shame. Luckily, Crow knew of a way to get to Satellite through the pipeline, which was apparently the same way I got into Satellite after leaving New Domino.

I quietly observed the, for lack of a better word, neighborhood that found ourselves in. It was drastically different from both New Domino City and Martha's orphanage. At least from what I'd seen.

Crow skidded to a stop on his Duel Runner, causing me to jolt slightly. "Everything alright?" I asked, finding it pretty weird that Crow would stop near an alleyway.

"Your Duel Runner," he began. "I hid it behind these things…" Crow pointed to a cordoned-off area, blocked by old milk creates and slabs of wood, which were all semi-covered by a tarp. "But, see… since I hid it so well, it'll be pretty hard getting it out…"

Crow disengaged his Duel Runner, both of us getting off of it. Crow went over and pulled off the tarp and pushed away the milk crates and the wood. "See? Here it is!" Crow said proudly.

I cocked my head to one side. It looked like a cross between Yusei's Duel Runner and a bi-plane. The finish was a metallic green with red stripes running across the frame. Two thrusters were positioned at the back, along with the wings, and a small control panel at the front along with a slot for my Duel Disk was opened out. One thing I noticed which I hadn't seen on anybody else's Duel Runner was a docking station for my phone, which I assumed was for listening to music.

"This is it, exactly how you left it!" Crow smiled. "Now, it's a bit dusty, so we'll gloss the Duel Runner and run the frame down with water. Also, you'll probably need to take it for a ride to get the engine back in condition. Oh, and I don't think they make that frame anymore either, or at least it's not by that name anymore. I think it might be called the Lambda Frame now, or something." Crow noticed that I was hesitantly looking at my Duel Runner. "C'mon, Tyler. It's yours! Get on! See how it feels!" he urged.

I walked over and after one failed attempt, I had gotten on my Duel Runner. As I sat down on the seat, dust flew up, causing Crow and I to cough. I moved around in the seat, trying to get into a comfortable seating position. "It feels a little weird." I told him.

"Yeah… It'll probably take some getting used to, but you'll be right." Crow assured me.

I revved the Duel Runner a couple times. I could tell right away that my Duel Runner wasn't like the one I had used at the Arcadia Movement. Those were much quieter, and now seemed more like toys in comparison to my Duel Runner. This would definitely take some getting used to. "I hope so… Thanks for keeping it for me." I smiled.

"No problem. What are friends for, right?" Crow waved me off. "Now come on, we should go see Annie and Itsuki."

Crow got back on his Duel Runner before tossing me the spare helmet I had worn. I fumbled but managed to catch it. We both revved our Runners, but I took off at a relatively slow speed, trying to get accustomed to riding again.

Crow happily stayed at the same pace as me, but just a little in front so that he could direct me. "It's this way." he said, turning off around a bend. I cautiously followed suit and saw that Crow had parked his Runner outside a run-down building.

I parked my Duel Runner beside his and disengaged it. "Is this the place?" I asked.

"Yep!" Crow nodded, putting his fingers up to both sides of his face. "Now remember, smiles!"

I chuckled as I followed him inside. Two kids were sitting on the floor of the room, cards everywhere, presumably having a Duel. The young boy had scruffy brown hair and wore a dark brown shirt with slightly ripped shorts. The girl had long, flowing red hair and wore what looked like a pink gown.

"…and now I'll get my Naturia Leodrake to attack your Life Points directly…" the girl said. "So I win."

"No fair!" the boy protested. "That's the _fifth_ time in a _row_!"

I turned to Crow. "Is this them…?" I whispered.

"Yeah…" he replied, before increasing the volume of his voice, "Hey, kids! Guess who's back?" Crow cheered.

"Hi Crow…" the kids muttered, not even taking their eyes off their cards.

"Aren't you excited to see me?" he asked.

"Yeah, hi Crow." the kids said, once again not looking up from their cards.

Crow sighed, turning to me. "These kids… sometimes I just don't know what to do with them." Crow then spoke louder once more. "I've, uh, got someone with me… Someone who you'll both want to meet."

"Hm?" both the kids turned to Crow, before their eyes shifted to meet with mine. "Tyler!" they shouted, running up to me and nearly knocking me over with a hug. Next thing I knew, both of them were bawling their eyes out. "We missed you so much!"

I glanced over and gave Crow a somewhat confused glance, since I really wasn't prepared for the reaction I got. I don't think Crow was either. Neither of us was giving any noticeable reaction, so I knew I had to do something. Say something. After all, these kids deserved that much at least.

"H-hey, kids-" I stumbled.

"Everyone was so worried about you. Promise you won't go off anywhere by yourself again!" Annie shouted.

"I thought I was never gonna see you again! I'm just glad you're back." Itsuki added.

"Hey kids, why don't ya give Tyler some space. He's had a rough time where he's been, so I'm sure he'd appreciate it. Right, Tyler?" Crow said sternly.

"Um… yeah… I, I guess…" I muttered.

"Why don't you go take your Runner for a test drive? I'll tell the kids what's been going on, okay?" Crow suggested.

"What? But you just got back!" Itsuki shouted. I had to agree. I mean, if Crow was gonna just suggest this as soon as I got in, why couldn't he have just made me wait outside until this was all sorted?

"Crow, I-"

"Go on, Tyler. Your Runner's outside." Crow motioned to the door.

I sighed as Annie and Itsuki pulled away from me, as I gave a quick wave to the kids and walking out to my Duel Runner. I got onto it, engaged it and backed away from Crow's parked Runner incredibly slowly, making sure I didn't go veering off anywhere or lose control.

Once I felt comfortable, I switched gears, slowly moving towards the old run-down bridge before taking a left, Crow's place moving out of sight.

* * *

I spent a good portion of the day getting myself reacquainted with Satellite and its people. It was amazing how different the Satellite was to New Domino. Goodwin wasn't kidding when he said there was a class difference! At the same time though, I understood where Yusei was coming from too. People _did_ have a right to be free, and while the completion of the Daedalus Bridge wouldn't end the divide between New Domino and the Satellite overnight, it was a step in the right direction. After all, there was only a class difference because the bridge hadn't been completed, and both New Domino City and Satellite were isolated from each other as I'd found. The bridge's completion would, hopefully, unite the City, and allow people to choose where they wanted to live without feeling ostracized.

While I was out, I also had ample time to practice riding my Duel Runner along the Old Highway. It took me awhile to get back into the swing of things, but by my third time 'round, I was able to bring my Runner's speed up to just below ninety miles an hour and confidently move around as I could feel the cool air blow against the uncovered parts of my body. It was truly invigorating, though I knew now that I needed to get a helmet that I could wear earphones under. To me, silence was pretty boring.

I had no idea what Annie and Itsuki would be like when I returned, but I had faith that Crow would be able to explain it all in a way that they could understand and they wouldn't be too angry. I knew that it wasn't really my fault that I lost my memories, but the kids obviously looked up to me and I'd feel pretty hurt if one of the people I looked up to vanished without a trace, came back and had no recollection of anything.

I pulled up my Duel Runner up alongside Crow's, which was still in the same position that he had left it in when we arrived. I engaged the kill switch and got off my Runner, heightening the stand so it wouldn't topple over.

Sighing, I hesitantly walked into the building, unsure of how the children would react to my presence.

I stopped at the doorway to see Crow and Annie Dueling on the floor, and Itsuki looking something up on the computer. My footsteps were obviously louder than I thought, because as soon as I stopped, Crow, Annie and Itsuki all turned to face me.

"Hey guys…" I muttered. I wasn't able to read the kids' facial expressions very well, but Crow gave me a very wide smile, which assured me that everything was fine.

Annie and Itsuki were silent for a while and just stared at me with somewhat dazed expressions.

"Hey kids," Crow piped up, causing Annie and Itsuki to twitch, now seemingly more awake. "Would you like to tell Tyler something?" Crow asked.

Both the kids walked over to me, and I knelt down so that I was face to face with them. As soon as I did, Annie leaned in and gave me a light peck on the cheek. "Hello, Tyler! My name is Annie Kokoro, and this is Itsuki!" Annie giggled.

"We know that a lot of things have happened in the past, but that's the past!" Itsuki insisted. "Crow told us you came to the Satellite with him just to visit us!"

"What happened to you was just terrible!" Annie piped up.

"We're glad you're safe!" Itsuki added.

I was still a little stunned from Annie's peck to really take in what the two kids were saying. "Th-thank… thank you… I, um…"

I turned to Crow as I heard him chuckle. "You okay, Tyler? You're blushing…" he noted.

My eyes widened as I shook my head and Annie giggled. I gulped. "I'm fine. I'm just… glad I'm safe too…"

"So, Tyler, are you coming with us to Martha's place?!" Itsuki asked a little bit too quickly.

"Uh, sorry…?" I muttered sheepishly, not really understanding.

"Martha's okay now. So is everyone else." Crow added.

"Yeah, and once the Daedalus Bridge is built, we're all moving to Martha's orphanage!" Annie explained.

"Okay then…" I said, wondering what exactly was going on and why in fact I had to come back here if everybody was moving away.

"W-well we're not too sure about the Daedalus Bridge at the moment. Yusei's tryin' his hardest to get it all going, so we're hopin' for the best. Anyway… you wanna check out what clothes you've got left that still fit you?"

"Yeah, okay." I muttered. Crow smiled, packing his cards away and getting up off the floor.

"We kept everything exactly how you left it just in case!" Itsuki grinned.

Crow walked over to a mahogany closet as I followed behind him. Once he felt my presence, he opened up the closet. I had expected an explosion of dust to rush out and attack us, but everything was clean, and neatly organized.

"I… did do a bit of cleaning every now and then…" Annie mumbled.

"Well thank you." I smiled, turning to her, before looking back and going through my clothes. From what I saw, almost nothing matched. I actually cringed at the clothes I had in my possession. Weirdly bright and colorful jackets, bizarrely-faded flannelette shirts, all of which I could tell wouldn't fit me. And even if they did, I wouldn't want to wear them. "Hey, have we got anything that's not so… vibrant?" I asked.

Crow chuckled. "I think your old Team Satisfaction uniform is still in here somewhere…" he trailed off. A stonewashed denim jacket caught my eye, so I pulled it out to take a better look. Crow smiled. "Or you could wear that."

"Is there anything else that could go with this?" I asked.

Crow looked to the closet, fingering through the rest of the clothes before pulling out a white shirt and a pair of jeans with a belt before handing them to me. "Maybe these? I'm not sure. Fashion's not really my thing."

"That's fine. I don't think I'd be able to pick something out on my own. Whatever you think is good, I'll wear."

"Alright then. How about we give you some privacy?" Crow suggested. "C'mon, kids." He motioned, Annie and Itsuki quickly following him out of the room, Itsuki shutting the door on his way out.

Immediately, I took off the ridiculous clothing that I had been wearing for what was really far too long, and threw it all onto the ground. I sighed. Even just looking at the discarded clothing reminded me of Sayer. Strangely though, it wasn't in a way that made me angry, as pretty much straight away, I recalled his death at the hands of Misty's Earthbound Immortal. I smiled once more.

I decided that I would keep the boots, not only because they were the only footwear I seemed to have, but also because they still held up surprisingly well. I put my new clothes on rather quickly, finishing with the boots as I sat down on the bed. I got up and stretched, looking over at the closet. If everything in there was mine, and I didn't want any of it, and everyone was moving away soon, then there'd be no sense in keeping it.

I walked over and began chucking all of the distasteful stuff I had into my Arcadia clothes, and I soon had a pile of clothes on the floor, but something else was there as well. Something had seemed to have fallen out of one of the pants pockets.

A wallet.

I walked over to it and picked it up, running my thumb along the material. I could tell that it was mine because 'Nochi' was stitched into it. I opened it up, a banknote peeking out at me, along with a piece of paper with some writing on it. It was probably sentimental crap that the old me probably loved, and since that would be the case, I tore it up without a second thought, keeping the money. Aside from that, the wallet was virtually empty, so I tossed that onto the pile as well, before going out to meet with Crow and the kids.

I smiled, watching Annie and Itsuki working together with Crow in an effort to clean up my Duel Runner. Honestly, if I didn't know that it was mine, or that it looked a little out of shape before, I'd think it was brand new. "You look nice." Crow complemented, watching my approach.

"Thank you. And… thanks for doing this as well." I said, glancing at my Duel Runner as the three of them walked over to me.

"It was no problem! Right, kids?" Crow asked, Annie and Itsuki nodding their heads in agreement.

"Hey! Why don't you guys have a Turbo Duel?" Itsuki suggested.

"That's a great idea, Itsuki! How 'bout it, Tyler?" Crow asked, turning to me, though I averted his gaze.

"I don't really… remember how…" I muttered.

"That's okay! I'll walk you through it as we go! There's no better way to learn than by doing it!" Crow said.

"Nah, I think I'm done with Dueling for the moment…" I murmured.

"What do ya mean 'done with Dueling'?" Crow asked.

"Well, who am I kidding? I've got crappy cards! I wouldn't stand a chance against you! I've been lucky enough to beat everyone I've had to Duel against, but now I know that if I had to Duel anyone, I'd probably just lose." I sullenly admitted. The fact of the matter was Explosivo. In spite of my hatred towards him, I knew he was pretty much the only reason I was able to beat anybody. I didn't have a Signer Dragon. Hell, I didn't even have a Synchro Monster. He was my best bet in a Duel, but he was my worst bet outside of one.

"It's not about winning or losing, it's about having fun!" Itsuki protested.

"No one has fun when they lose…" I mumbled. "Look, I'm sorry. I just don't feel like it." I said, looking towards the ocean.

"Alright. We don't have to Duel. How about just a ride around Satellite?" Crow asked.

I nodded. "Okay, just… gimme a second…" I ran back into the room, picking up the pile of clothes before heading out again. "Could we make a stop somewhere and get rid of these?" I asked.

"You wanna get rid of _all_ of that?"

"Well, a lot of what's here I'm not really fond of, and I'm _definitely_ not gonna be wearing the Arcadia stuff ever again."

"M'kay… That's your choice. I know of a good spot." Crow walked over to his Duel Runner, motioning for me to get on mine. I got onto my Duel Runner, laying the clothes across my legs as the kids stepped back.

I took off quicker than I had wanted to, but managed to stay in control of my Runner. I just followed Crow around until we reached a subway station. I looked around and saw two guys who looked to be about sixty warming themselves by sitting near an oil drum which had fire burning vigorously inside it.

"Ya want me to give these clothes to a couple people I know?" Crow asked.

My eyes focused on the oil drum. "Yeah… Everything except this…" I muttered, grabbing the Arcadia stuff as Crow took the rest and headed down into the subway.

I got off my Duel Runner and walked over to the two men. "Uh… hi. Is it alright if I burn this?" I asked them. They shrugged, so I chucked the Arcadia Uniform into the drum and watched it slowly brown and crinkle as the fabric dried out, the fire consuming it completely. I smiled. "Thanks."

I walked back over to my Duel Runner and got on it just as Crow re-emerged from the subway. "Rally and Tank say 'Thank you for the clothes'." Crow could tell by the expression on my face that I had no idea who he was talking about, so he added "They're friends of Yusei's. We met them a couple times before, years ago."

"Oh, okay."

The two of us sat silently on our Duel Runners as Crow kept his eyes on mine. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Thinking…"

"What about?"

I sighed. "I have absolutely no idea…"

"Well ya wanna head back?"

"Yeah, okay…" I murmured. Crow and I took slowly as we headed back to his hideout to meet with the kids.

* * *

"A Rehabilitation Center? Here?" I asked.

"That's what they've been saying…" Crow said nonchalantly.

I paced back and forth once more, trying to understand what exactly was going on. Crow had just received word from Yusei that everything was ready to go ahead in regards to the Daedalus Bridge being built to connect the Satellite to the mainland of New Domino City, under one proviso. The proviso was that that Rehabilitation Center be built in the Satellite to help those who required certain treatment, and the only viable block of land was apparently where Crow's hideout was.

"And that's why you guys are moving?" I asked, turning to the kids.

"That's actually why they're building it. Because we're moving." Crow piped up. "Look, we really only got the gist of what they were saying. So we're not even sure if it's going ahead at all still."

"And what about everyone else who lives here?" I asked.

Crow sighed. "I don't know about that, but Martha's agreed to take care of whoever needs it."

I brought my hands up to my face, wiping my fingers across my eyelids. "Alright then… So… I guess in the morning I… get my stuff and leave then?"

"Well if you're thinking about heading back to the City, you won't be able to go through the Pipeline."

"Huh? Why not?" I asked.

"That thing only shuts down once a month for maintenance. For the rest of the time, it's active. We were lucky enough to get through when we could." Crow explained.

"Well how do I get back to the City then?"

"Head to the… uh… _Slum_ area, keep walking east, and you'll reach the Port. There's a transport ship there, you can take that to get back to the City."

"Why didn't we just take the boat instead of going through the Pipeline?"

Crow sighed, before pointing to his face. "See these marks? It'd be a snowball's chance in Hell for me to get on with these."

"I'm sorry, I… I didn't realize…"

"That's okay…"

I suddenly felt very tired, as if at any moment I would collapse onto the ground. I sighed, sitting down on the bed as the kids looked up at me.

"Tired?" Annie asked.

"Yeah…" I muttered.

"Well you've got a big day tomorrow… Why don't we leave you to get some rest? C'mon, kids." Crow ushered Annie and Itsuki out of the room as my eyelids began to droop and I found myself drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Sunlight worked its way across the Satellite Sector, covering everything in its warm, soothing glow. As the sunlight gently touched my Duel Runner, I revved it twice, Crow, Annie and Itsuki looking to me.

"Good luck in New Domino, Tyler!" Itsuki cheered.

"Be sure to visit us at Martha's when you have the chance, okay?" Annie smiled.

"If you see Yusei there, say 'hi' to him for me, alright?" Crow nodded.

"Of course. What about Jack?"

"Oh yeah, you can say 'hi' to him too, if you want…" Crow muttered. "You remember where to go, right?"

"Yeah, I know the way…" I closed my eyes, lifting my hands up and running my fingers along my helmet. "Thanks for everything, guys…" I smiled, realizing introspectively that I was _so_ not good with goodbyes…

With that, I brought my hands down onto the handlebars and revved my Duel Runner once more, taking off slower than I could've, before backing up and turning around, heading past several kids who all seemed to either be Dueling or spectating. I made a sharp right turn, travelling forward to see clothes drying outside other run-down buildings. Passing water-damaged crates, I found myself pulling up beside one of the biggest boats I had ever seen. Really it was the _only_ boat I had ever seen.

The dock seemed to be flooded with Sector Security members and, from the looks of their uniforms and yellow hardhats, a couple construction workers. From this I assumed that they had come to take a look around the Satellite to either start on the Daedalus Bridge, or the Rehabilitation Center.

Almost immediately upon noticing me, two Sector Security members walked over to me. "Get off the Duel Runner!" one of them shouted, his facial expression obscured by his helmet.

Apart from Trudge, I had never dealt with Sector Security before, but I knew it was wise for me to do exactly as I was asked. I used the kill switch, slumping off the seat and applying the kick stand.

"Is there a problem, officer?" I asked.

"Is this thing registered?!" the other officer asked. My heart jumped into my throat. I had no idea.

"I… um…" I stuttered, trying to think of what exactly it was that I should say. I couldn't lie and tell them that it was, because they would probably have a way of checking. But I couldn't tell them the truth either. They wouldn't believe it. They'd probably think that I stole it or something.

"What's goin' on here!?" I heard a loud, commanding voice from a little way away. We turned to see Tetsu Trudge walking towards us.

"Officer Trudge!" the two officers shouted, standing up as straight as they could. "Th-this one… he-"

"Don't you know who he is?! He is Tyler Nochi, one of the Duelists who helped defeat the Dark Signers!"

"S-sir?"

"Carry on with your regular duties! We've got work to do people, move!" Trudge shouted as the two officers scampered away. Trudge then walked up to me. "Now what happened here?" he asked softly.

I sighed. "I was… um… hoping I could take the boat back into the City today. I showed up on my Duel Runner and those two…" I paused, pointing in the direction of where those two officers had disappeared off to. "They asked me if my Runner was registered, and I truthfully have no idea. I'm sorry."

Trudge smiled. "Is this your Duel Runner?" he asked, walking over to it. I nodded. "Up until now, most of the Duel Runners that have belonged to Satellite residents have been confiscated. The clothes you've got on now… they don't make you look like someone from New Domino…"

"You mean, they think that I stole this Runner?" I asked. Trudge nodded.

"You don't need to worry though. I'll sort this out for you."

"Thank you so much."

"Not a problem. Just wait here, okay?" Trudge instructed. I nodded as Trudge went back inside the ship, coming out around five minutes later. "Alright, you can get across on that ship," he began, pointing to the hatch of the ship, "but you'll need to remain off your Duel Runner until you reach New Domino. Is that understood?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you." I bowed.

Trudge smiled. "Okay. I'd better go catch up with my team. Best o' luck."

"You too…"

Trudge then made a mad dash out of the Port in order to catch up to the other officers that had since left the area. As for me, I brought my right leg around to support my Runner as I brought it into neutral, wheeling it onto the ship. Once I reached the entrance, I stopped.

I did wonder if this was in fact the right thing for me to do, to leave New Domino for Satellite only to return a day later, especially in light of the revelation that my mother no longer wanted me. And then I thought, why should I let my mother define who I am, my happiness, my sadness? She didn't want me, so why should I feel like I need her?

There was still this little something, this little part of me that, in spite of me throwing away almost everything that I could use to identify me with who I was, wanted to cling to some sense of familiarity or… safety or… just… something, anything. I knew I couldn't find it here in the Satellite. I had to go back to New Domino. I had to get back to my real life.

I smiled as sunlight brushed against my face. Shaking my head, I continued wheeling my Duel Runner onto the ship as the door to the cargo hold began to shut behind me.


	21. Tomorrow

I had to admit, I was a little disoriented arriving at the Daimon Port with nothing but me and my Duel Runner. A couple businessmen were walking around like they had important stuff to do, and there were a few dozen construction workers who were either piling onto the boat, or trying to push past me to get off.

I sighed, bringing my Duel Runner to the side of the hatch, letting everyone breeze past me as I then became mixed in with those who were struggling to cart on crates or unprotected building materials. As an opening revealed itself to me, I wheeled my Duel Runner off the ship and walked it past the fencing.

My attention was drawn to a sign stating ' _Duel Runners are not to be ridden in this area_ '. I shrugged, wheeling my Duel Runner to the next fence, which automatically opened upon my approach.

I smiled, now unrestricted, getting onto my Duel Runner and bringing it up to a safe and comfortable speed as I explored the town. I had been shown the more upper class parts of New Domino City before, such as the Tops Plaza, the East District… and the Arcadia Movement, but I had never been shown what was in the Daimon Area before. To me, it looked like a sort of middle-class neighborhood: a couple cracks in the sidewalks here and there, one or two abandoned cars, but a perfectly liveable place overall. Maybe after Sector Security were finished fixing up the Daedalus Bridge and the Satellite, they could give this place a little makeover too…

_I had my doubts about you before, but this right here, you're just plain awesome!_

_I'm very pleased that you're feeling alright today, Tyler. I just hope it was nothing too serious._

Two blurred figures caught my attention as I rode passed a garage, causing me to slam on the brakes. I turned to the two individuals, locked in a Duel with each other that seemed to be nearing its end. I wanted to pinch myself, to see if I was dreaming, but I knew I wasn't, and that's what surprised me.

In one move, the tan-skinned boy had ripped through his opponent's defense and managed to knock his Life Points to zero. The opponent, who had messy blond hair, got up off the ground and dusted himself off, before walking over and accepting the handshake of the other boy, both wearing the clothes I had just recently abandoned.

I kicked my Duel Runner into park just as the two boys turned to me.

"Hey, Tyler. Feeling good?" Liquid asked.

I couldn't believe it. He was alive. _They_ were alive. They were standing right in front of me, smiles on their faces, and yet, I had no idea how to react. I shouldn't have been so surprised, especially considering everything else that'd happened, and everything else that I had been a part of, but I was. They didn't seem at all surprised to see me, so maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised to see them.

I pushed all of the confusion out of my head as I answered Liquid's question as best I could. "Umm… f-fine…" I muttered, neglecting to mention all that had gone on in their absence. They didn't need to know about that.

"That's good to hear. I'm afraid I can't say either of us are doing all that well, though." Okita explained.

"Oh, c'mon! Why do you have to say such depressing things?!" Liquid asserted, turning to him.

"Well, because the Arcadia Movement is ruined, we don't have anywhere to go." Okita explained.

"Hmm… But it all just depends on how you look at it, right?" Liquid smiled.

"I think perhaps we should get straight to the point instead!" Okita shouted, somewhat catching me off-guard. Okita turned to me. "Tyler, we have a favor to ask you."

"Y-yeah?"

"Could you help us find a place to live?" Okita asked.

" _Whoa_! Hey, now! You can't just come straight out with it like _that_!" Liquid snapped.

"Why ever _not_? It makes no sense to just beat around the bush!" Okita retorted, focusing his attention on me once more. "We don't know anyone in town, and you're the only one we can rely on, Tyler."

It took me a while for Okita's plea to sort of sink in. But when it did, everything hit me hard. I didn't have a place to live either. I had just come from the Satellite, my prior plans thrown astray by a mother who didn't want me. The three of us were in the same boat, except that I had my Duel Runner.

"C'mon, Okita! Isn't there a better way to ask that sort of que-"

Okita quickly turned to Liquid. " _Quiet_ , you!" he shouted. I narrowed my eyes, wondering if Okita and Liquid somehow switched bodies at some point. "So, you see, for that reason, we'd really like to ask for your help." Okita smiled at me, before turning once more to Liquid. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Shouldn't you be asking, too!?" he hounded.

"Yeah, please…!" Liquid begged after several seconds of silence.

I couldn't just ignore the pleas of my friends, but I knew that I wasn't really in much of a position to help them. The best I could do was try and contact some of my friends who might have been able to help. "Alright, just… Just give me a sec. I'll see if I can make some phone calls."

"Yes! Thank you!" Okita shouted, clasping his hands together as I nodded, taking a couple steps back.

I scrolled through my contacts until I found Jack's number. As far as I knew, he was still staying with Mina, so I figured that Mina might've been able to help me out a little. I tapped on Jack's number before putting the phone to my ear. It rang four times before I heard a pop on the other end of the line.

"Tyler…" Jack groaned. "What's up? Why are you calling so early in the morning?"

I pulled my phone away from my ear to check the time before replying. "It's twenty-six past eleven…" I muttered.

"Why are you calling…?" Jack repeated.

"Well, you're still at Mina's, right? I was wondering if I could talk to her about something real quick."

Jack sighed. "Mina's gone to go get food for her cats… Why do you need to talk to her anyway…?"

"Well… see I've just met up with a couple of friends from the Arcadia Movement, you know, the ones that I thought had died? And, well, they don't have a place to live or anything since the Arcadia Movement is, well… destroyed."

"That it…?" Jack mumbled. "I'll tell Yusei to give you a call. He'll sort something out. Where are you now?"

"I'm in the Daimon Area. Just came through the Port."

"Alright…" Jack yawned. "You… stay there… I'll give Yusei a call…"

"Thanks, Jack." I smiled.

"Don't mention it…" he mumbled before he hung up.

I turned back to Okita and Liquid. "So what's going on?" Liquid asked.

"We just need to sit tight for a little bit. One of my friends should be coming by soon to help us out."

"Oh?! _Really_?!" he asked.

"You know, Tyler, you sure are a peach! I can't thank you enough!" Okita shouted.

"You're really helping us out, Tyler! I'll never forget this!"

"Well nothing's set in stone yet." I began. "But if anyone can help us out, it's my friend Yusei."

"So what do we do until he gets here?" Liquid asked.

"Why don't you tell us about _that_?" Okita smirked, pointing at my Duel Runner.

"Hey, yeah, where'd you get that from?"

"Turns out it was mine." I chuckled.

"Wait, but you said you'd never ridden a Duel Runner before!" Liquid shouted.

"Well at that time, I didn't think I ever had."

"What?" Liquid asked.

"Yeah…" I murmured. From the shared expression on Liquid's and Okita's faces, it didn't seem as though we were all on the same page. "Hold on, just so we're clear, you guys know that I'm an amnesiac, right?"

"What?" Liquid repeated.

"He means he suffers from amnesia, you moron!" Okita glared at Liquid, before turning to me with an unmistakably sympathetic look on his face. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Do you know what kind it is? How long have you had it? Is there anything that the two of us can do to help you?"

"Oh. Nah, don't worry about it. I've had it since before I met you guys, so it's a non-issue." I laughed. I regretted bringing it up the moment I said it. After all, I didn't want them to pity me. I'd had enough of that. Besides, if they wanted to pity me, I'm sure they could have easily found something else about me to pity.

As the sound of a roaring engine drew closer, the three of us turned to the direction of where it seemed to be coming from as I saw Yusei racing through the streets, taking a sharp turn, pulling back and parking near my Duel Runner.

"That was pretty quick. How did you get here so fast?" I asked him as the three of us walked over.

"I was in the area when Jack called. So what's this about needing a place to live?" he asked as Okita stepped forward to act as the group spokesperson.

"Yusei, sir. My name is Okita, and this is Liquid. We need a place to live now that the Arcadia Movement's gone."

"These friends of yours?" Yusei asked, turning to me. I nodded.

"Yep. These guys were brainwashed by Sayer like me, but they can still, you know, remember stuff." I sighed, before laughing a little.

"Well I know just who can help us. Follow me." Yusei motioned, moving forward on his seat. "Liquid, was it? You ever been on a Duel Runner before?"

"Yeah… I'm not very good at riding one though. At least not as good as Tyler."

"That's fine. Just get on." he motioned once more.

"Alright, Okita. You're with me then." I said, getting back onto my Duel Runner and scooching forward on my seat.

"Splendid!" he grinned as he and Liquid got onto mine and Yusei's Duel Runners with a little effort.

"Okay, Tyler. Just follow me. It's not that far." Yusei said as he began to pick up speed. I revved my Duel Runner once as I felt Okita grasp my shoulders tightly.

"Sorry…" I apologized. "I should've told you I was gonna do that."

"It's fine… engine's just a little loud…" he murmured as I looked ahead. I took off at a slow speed behind Yusei, paying close attention to his movements. I followed him left around a corner and up until we reached the site of an apartment complex, where Yusei brought his Duel Runner in through the doors as he jumped off of it. I watched as Liquid got a little fright from this, so I decided to slide my Runner into neutral as I instructed Okita to get off, before I wheeled it in through the doors manually.

"There's parking on the basement level." Yusei explained as he hit a button near the elevator. A light at the top of the elevator doors illuminated right as they opened. "I'll head down first. You three wait here." he instructed, walking into the elevator with his Runner as Liquid got off of it.

"Is he always this… _serious_?" Liquid asked just as the doors closed.

"For the most part, I think. To be honest, I haven't really seen Yusei be anything _except_ serious."

"I must say that, aside from the sound of the engine, I really _did_ enjoy that ride, however brief it was." Okita beamed.

"I'm glad." I smiled.

"Oh, hey. Did you hear about Rex Goodwin?" Liquid asked, turning to me. "Apparently something happened to him a few days ago, so they're looking for a new Director."

"Who's 'they'?"

"The New Domino Public Administrations Bureau. I heard they were gonna have another election soon."

"No they're not!" Okita protested. "They have a Vice-Director specifically to avoid having to do things like that!"

The elevator doors opened and Yusei stepped out. "Take your Duel Runner down to the basement by pressing '1B' on the control panel. There's a ton of free spots down there, so you shouldn't have difficulty finding a place to park. Come back up here when you're done, okay?"

I nodded, wheeling my Duel Runner into the elevator with me. Thankfully, my Runner was able to fit inside the space, and I still had plenty of room to move. I punched in '1B' as the elevator doors closed. I felt my entire position shift as the elevator brought me down to a small room which seemed to branch off into a large concrete parking lot. An automated gate lay far to the left, possibly allowing for an easy exit, which I was all for. I sincerely hoped I wouldn't have to bring my Runner up through the elevator again when I went to leave.

My footsteps echoes as I wheeled my Runner over to a vacant bay, throwing it into park, bringing down the stand, and then disengaging it. I walked back into the small room and into the elevator, hitting 'G' on the control panel as the doors closed. When they opened again, Yusei, Okita and Liquid made their way onto the elevator with me in silence, Yusei pressing '4F' on the control panel.

"Here we are." Yusei said as the elevator doors opened, walking out as Okita, Liquid and I followed Yusei as he took a left, and then another, stopping at a rosewood door with a steel handle. Yusei knocked twice, the three of us waiting until we were eventually greeted by a slightly older man in a white shirt and brown pants.

"Hey, Yusei. What brings you here?" the man asked.

"Blister, this is Tyler, Liquid and Okita." Yusei said.

"So _you're_ the famous Tyler. Yusei's told me a lot about you. Nice to meet you finally." He smiled, extending a hand for me to shake.

"Hi it's… nice to meet you too…" I muttered, accepting his handshake.

"Anyway, Yusei, what's up?" Blister asked.

"I was wondering if you had a spare room where these two could stay." Yusei began.

"Our home was destroyed and we've got nowhere to go!" Okita added.

"I see… A tough break, huh?" Blister murmured. "No, problem, though. There's another apartment on this floor that's under my name. I'll let them use it."

" _Awesome_!" Liquid shouted.

"So… could you show us around right away, please?" Okita asked.

"Alright. It's this way." Blister said. Yusei, Liquid, Okita and I followed him as we walked out and past the elevator until we reach another door which had an identical frame to Blister's room. Blister reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, opening the door before giving it to Liquid. "There you go…" he muttered.

Liquid and Okita made their way inside, the joy on their faces undeniable as their smiles practically went from ear to ear. "This is a sweet place! I kinda dig it!" Liquid smiled, slowly observing the room, Okita doing the same before turning back to me.

"Tyler, we can't thank you enough." Okita smiled.

"Please, this was Yusei and Blister's doing." I smiled.

"Maybe so, but none of this would've happened without you." He smiled, taking a card out of his Deck box and handing it to me. "This is a small token of our appreciation. Please accept it."

I looked at the card that Okita had given me – Hyper Psychic Blaster, a Synchro Monster that I had neither the Synchro Materials or Tuner Monster to Summon it with. Regardless, it was an incredibly kind gesture, and from the looks of things quite a rare card. It wouldn't have been right of me to be ungrateful. I looked back up at Okita and Liquid and smiled. "Thanks guys…"

Okita nodded, before turning back to Liquid. "Okay. Now that that's taken care of, I think it's time we decide who's the _boss_ of this apartment, don't you?" he asked.

"Well we'll leave you to it then." Blister smiled, unfazed by the argument that had since broken out between the two boys. "Tyler, I've got something for you as well."

"Huh?"

"Follow me…" Blister murmured as Yusei smiled, the two of them leading me back to Blister's apartment. They went back inside and motioned for me to come in as well. I did, and Yusei and Blister looked to each other and then at me in silence for several moments.

"I don't understand…" I muttered.

"This apartment is yours… if you want it…" Blister said casually.

My heart skipped a beat. "Are you serious?!"

Blister nodded. "I've been given an offer by Martha to come and help her manage the orphanage in the Satellite. And trust me, if you've tasted her cooking, you'll know that's an opportunity that I _can't_ pass up."

"I… I don't know what to say…" I stammered.

"Yusei told me everything that you've been through. If anyone deserves this apartment it's you. You won't need to pay for utilities or anything like that since the super owes me a huge favor, so if you're worried about that, then don't be."

"Go on, Tyler. It's a very generous offer that Blister's making…" Yusei added.

"I-if I say yes, you'll _give_ this place to me…?" I muttered.

"I can go and put your name on the lease right now for you if you'd like." Blister smiled.

I was so happy, I couldn't even begin to describe it. For the most part, the past few days had been Hell on Earth for me, what with the Dark Signers, my mother and everything else, and to have been given something so fantastic like a home from somebody I had literally just met all because of Yusei… There was really nothing that I could say or do to show how appreciative I was of such a kind gesture.

"Yes, please…" I said, nearly choking on my answer.

"Alright then. I'll get that sorted for you, and then I'll come back and help you settle in."

* * *

"So…" I began. "Are there any cool places I can go around and check out?"

Blister seemed to think for a moment. "Well there's a card shop, there's an underground Duel arena, there's-"

"How 'bout something that's _not_ related to Duel Monsters?" I asked.

Blister turned away from whatever he was packing and looked straight at me, trying to discern whether or not I was being serious. He sighed. "There's a bar called Bootleg. Right from where you come in from the Port, head past the empty garage and it's on your left. There should be a sign out front, so you'll know if you're in the right place."

"Alright, thanks. I'll go check that out." I smiled.

"Well depending on how long you're there, I might not be here when you get back. I'll lock up when I'm done, but here's a spare key just in case." Blister searched through his pockets, before he pulled out a key and gave it to me.

"My Duel Runner will be safe down in the lot, won't it?"

Blister laughed. "O'course. If you've configured the recognition system correctly, only you'll be able to access it."

"Alright, so I've got nothing to worry about then?" I asked, double-checking just to make sure I understood.

"Nothin' to worry about."

"Awesome! Thank you!" I bowed, putting the key to my new apartment in my pocket as I left the room, closing the door behind me. With a spring in my step, I walked down the hall and to the elevator, making my way to the ground floor in a matter of seconds. With haste, I walked out of the apartment complex, and made a left past the card shop.

I found my way from there back to where I came in from the Port, at that point following Blister's instructions to keep walking until I reached an intersection where, right next to me, there laid a sign which said 'Bootleg' in faded letters. My eyes traveled to a set of wooden doors which seemed to give a little even at the slightest touch.

I shrugged, pushing both doors forward with my hands as I walked in.

The place seemed dark and sinister, the smell of smoke and alcohol almost consuming the place. From where I stood, I could see an old jukebox, along with a glass cabinet which housed several different bottles, cans and glasses.

Aside from two men having a Duel in one of the booths, the place was basically deserted. I took cautious steps walking down the stairs, holding on to the handrail until I reach the bottom. I don't know why, but I really was expecting more from the place. Nevertheless, I walked over and took at seat the bar, where an older gentleman was cleaning a glass behind it.

"Whaddya want? Ya got any ID on ya?" he asked.

I straightened up. "Uh… n-no, sir. I don't."

"Well, have ya got any money?"

"Umm…" I paused, searching my pockets and taking out the small amount of money I had. "Not much…"

"Not really enough for anything…" he noted.

"Alright. Is there anything I can get to drink which doesn't cost any money and doesn't require me to have an ID?" I asked.

"Water." The bartender replied as I sighed in response.

"Okay, can I get a glass of water please?" I asked.

"Still or Sparkling?"

I sighed once more. "Still. I dunno."

The bartender nodded, fetching a tall glass and filling it with water from a bottle nearby. He then dropped two ice cubes into the glass and slid it over to me. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." I smiled, taking the glass into my right hand as I took a sip from it. I closed my eyes, listening to 'Sweet Child O' Mine' playing on the nearby jukebox. I took another sip of my water and looked around. Where do _I_ go now, I asked myself. I realized that I hadn't really thought that far ahead in the grand scheme of things. I mean, I had an apartment, and a Duel Runner, but not much else. With all the Dark Signer stuff over, I knew that now was the time that I could try to get my life back on track. I _had_ to get my life back on track.

In the midst of my intense considerations and reflections, I heard someone approaching me from behind. I put my glass down and turned to see who the person behind me was. I was neither prepared for, nor expecting to see this person any time soon. Actually, that was a lie. I was never expecting to see this person again. His eyes met mine, and I was at a complete loss for words.

I struggled to think of what to say, trying desperately to put a sentence together, but I couldn't. All that could escape my lips was his name.

"Taze…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CTRL+V from FFN:
> 
> After much consideration, I decided to put a little something at the end of the story (rather than throughout it, as I thought that would disrupt the flow of the story) to properly acknowledge all who helped me out with it. A special shout-out to two very special people: 2dayIsUrDay and AnimeAndMangaFan. Without them, this story would never have been attempted, much less completed, so I owe them a great deal of thanks.
> 
> Below you'll find a short list of the people who had a hand in making this story what it was, and what stage of story development that was at, with the chapters they had a hand in creating in brackets next to their name.
> 
> Concept
> 
> 2dayIsUrDay (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12)  
> AnimeAndMangaFan (8)  
> Eye_Cannot_Fathom (8)  
> MissyD (8, 18)  
> Tyler Nator (4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)  
> Tole (8)
> 
> Drafting
> 
> 2dayIsUrDay (all)  
> AnimeAndMangaFan (8, 11, 18, 19)  
> Tyler Nator (all)
> 
> Writing
> 
> 2dayIsUrDay (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17)  
> AnimeAndMangaFan (8, 11, 18, 19)  
> Tyler Nator (all)
> 
> This isn't the end of Tyler Nochi though. There's a sequel, called "Pains of Identity", and a third story called "Arc of Eternity", which you should be able to find on my profile page. Be sure to give those a read if you're at all interested.
> 
> Finally, a special thank you to all the readers. I hope you enjoyed reading the story just as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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